


Over and over again

by WhiteHiganbana



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, M/M, Samurai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-17
Updated: 2014-08-23
Packaged: 2018-02-05 01:09:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 47,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1799944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteHiganbana/pseuds/WhiteHiganbana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><a href="http://thebasketballidiots.tumblr.com/post/88953667964/kuroko-no-basket-reincarnation-au-kagakuro">Reincarnation AU</a> Kagami always had this dream once in a while. It never made sense to him but one day, a person who seemed to come from that dream appeared before him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/n: I can’t believe I am doing this. Again, my English is bad, it's not my first language. I constantly have problems with my grammar and I am sure that you can spot a lot of them throughout the story. 
> 
> This was inspired by [this](https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B32uhnFfVqjiendoZVl1X2NHTzA/view?usp=sharing) skit that Ono Yuuki (Kagami’s Seiyuu) and Ono Kensho (Kuroko’s Seiyuu) did. It’s a about two Samurai that were once very close friends but they ended up in a different clan and one day, the master of one clan ordered him to kill his friend. I was taken aback by the story and decided that it would make a perfect reincarnation AU. Please see the video or read the translation before reading. It's very short and you will understand the story better with it. Also, here's a [photoset](http://thebasketballidiots.tumblr.com/post/88953667964/kuroko-no-basket-reincarnation-au-kagakuro) to go with the story.

 

_“Here, Nobutsuka! Your present!” he fetched the parcel from the sash he carried around and handed to the boy. The wrapping was a rushed job done. He couldn’t help but felt guilty for handing something that looked like it was fished out of the gutter to the boy. But it was all he had. He couldn’t afford a fancy paper or even a proper rope to bind his present to him. Anyone else receiving it would just hand it back to him. But not Nobutsuka, never him. Instead, he looked so happy or as happy as he could be with a fresh bruise on his face the bullies decorated for him._

_“Junben-kun…thank you. You don’t have to do this but thank you,” the boy gently unwrap the gift he received with his small fingers. The papers were spares from the lantern shop. They had multiple holes from faulty production. That was why it was discarded away. The final layer revealed a simple black hair clip. There wasn’t any fancy pattern or jewel decoration on it. Just plan black to contrast the stark white colour of the owner’s hair._

_“What are you talking about? It’s your birthday! I noticed that your hair grew longer than before and that hair band of yours isn’t going to last.”_

_“This looks expansive…did you steal it?”_

_“Of course not! I asked the old-man for extra work for that. You should put it on, he worked me to the bones for it,” Nobutsuka took out the worn looking blue hair band. His long white hair started to grow longer than his usual shoulder length now just like Junben said. He gathered the strands and tied it neatly with his new gift._

_“It looks really nice. Thank you Junben-kun! I promised that I will repay you on your birthday,” Nobutsuka smiled. It was one of those bright smiled that only Junben had the privilege to see. Junben loved that smile because when Nobutsuka was happy, his bright blue eyes sparkled with life. It reminded him of the sky on a clear day. Bright blue…_

 

 

The ear piercing sound of the alarm clock was something that he could never get used to. He really didn’t want to get up today. The weird dreams he had always left him drained for some reason. Once in a while, Kagami Taiga would wake up to one of those weird dreams he had since he was little. They said a person’s dream reflects the sub-conscious of that person. He could never understand why his sub-conscious seems to revolve around that boy with the bright blue eyes. Every time, it was a different scene. Sometimes he dreamt of protecting that boy from bullies. Sometimes it was him that was being beaten to pulp and that boy, “Nobutsuka”, would run to help him which resulted in both of them being beaten to pulp. He would be referred to as “Junben-kun” and from the dressing, he was pretty sure that it was somewhere in the ancient Japan time. That was why he doubting whether the sub-conscious theory was correct or not. He was sure that he never took interest in Japan history or whatsoever. He was also sure as heck that never met anyone who even look like the boy. Or maybe if he did, the encounter shouldn’t left that much of an imprint in his mind for him to dream of him at least once a month. The first day of school was going to suck so much.

* * *

Actually, scratched that. The first day of school didn’t suck that much. In fact, it was more of weird than bad. Their captain was abnormally scary for some reason. His coach was high school girl that demanded them to take off their shirts on their first day of the club. He couldn’t help felt strange under her gaze because she seemed to stare as his half-naked body like she was drinking in his figure. And of course, some of the club members decided to not come all of sudden until…

“Sorry, I am Kuroko.”

Kagami couldn’t believe that he actually didn’t see the boy when he was next to him. When did he get there or how long was he there? The boy was short and lean for a basketball player, even leaner than the average players in Japan. He was going to get killed on the court. His hair was bright blue, the shade that cause his heart tighten for a second. It wasn’t when the boy turned around to put back on his shirt that he finally got a full look on his face.

_“Junben-kun!”_

 

 

A flash of Nobutsuka’s face appeared in his head as the he saw that same bright blue eyes. He actually half expected for the guy named “Kuroko” to call him back as “Junben” when we saw him. Hell, they even looked the same and sounded the same. What kind of sick coincidence was this? He tried to not think about it. It was just a coincidence, nothing more. Right?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroko was nothing that Kagami expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Internship is boring and I am on a writing spree. Again, English is not my first language and there will be mistakes but I will try my best.Thank you for reading and sharing :)

Kuroko was everything that Kagami never expected. From the start, the boy claimed to be someone from a group called “Generation of Miracles” that supposed to be one of the basketball prodigy. Kuroko looked nothing like an athlete prodigy. He body doesn’t even resemble one. The boy was going to get slaughtered in a match if he continued playing it. Their first one-on-one play only brought disappointment to him. He already gave up Japanese style basketball. And for a good moment there, he almost gave up on Kuroko. Almost. It wasn’t until he said that he was a “shadow” that he started to wonder if the boy had something up his sleeves.

That night, he had another dream. It never happened to him before because he usually had the dream once in a while but never consecutively.

_“Junben-kun,” they were sitting under their usual spot. The old shrine that they always played together. Both of them had a long stick in hand which they would swing around random enemies that could only be seen in their imagination. Other kids in the orphanage wouldn’t play with them. It was their lost. Junben never cared if they found him unpleasant or weird. One person would always stay with him no matter what._

_“What? You’re tired?”_

_“No…it’s just that I wonder why you keep playing with me though.”_

_“What kind of question is that?” Junben asked in a total confusion. Nobutsuka never asked him that kind of question before. Some deep sophisticated question about life and peace, yes, but never about their relationship._

_“I am not smart or strong or funny like other kids. Compare to them, I am useless. You could have play with them and have a lot of friends. Because you play with me, you never have other friends. Why did you stay with me, Junben-kun?”_

_Nobutsuka was different from other kids. He was often bullied and got his food stolen because he was easy to be picked on. He wasn’t as strong as normal kids and always ended up being pushed around. And all the time, Junben would come to rescue him. Sometimes, he wished that he was invisible instead so that no one could notice him. He even confessed to Junben once that he wished that he wasn’t that noticeable. Because of this, Nobutsuka was able to develop this abnormal way of hiding himself from others. It was as if his presence was erased from everyone around him. It did solve the problem for a short period of time but not always. The bullies would found their way to him once in a while._

_“Well, I can’t just leave you alone. When I first saw you on the day I was brought here by the old man, I saw myself in you. We both lose something important. And even if we are surrounded by many kids that are orphans like us, I felt that you and I are the same in some way.”_

_“I think that Junben-kun is saying something really embarrassing,” he could feel the heat rose up his cheek. Nobutsuka was always able to express something so straightforward like that but Junben just couldn’t handle emotions._

_“A-and I think that you are unique in your own way though. I know that you are really good at hide and seek!”_

_“That was hardly a talent Junben-kun, the bullies forced me to know where to hide,” Nobutsuka cut in but that still didn’t stop Junben from carrying on._

_“Which is very cool! You’re not afraid of dogs.”_

_“Junben-kun, dogs are not scary.”_

_“Shut up! They are devils from the deepest pit of hell!” and then Nobutsuka laughed. He finally laughed again after all those dark thoughts and that was enough for him. They both lost their families to the bandits and war. Nobutsuka was the first person who reached out for him. Even if he tried to brush away those hands at first, Nobutsuka never gave up. It was their mutual longing to connect to someone in the place that filled with broken young kids that brought them together. Junben just hoped that it would stay that way._

 

_“S-So you see. There’s always something you can do that I can’t. You’re not useless or weak. Remember that!”_

* * *

 

When Kagami saw what Kuroko was capable of doing court, he was speechless. He forgot for a moment that basketball wasn’t the kind of sport that could be played alone. He forgot one of the most important things in the sport that he loved. Teamwork.

Kuroko may not be the most aggressive player or the fastest but his misdirection and his passes were something to behold. He should have known from his experiences in America to never judge someone from their first appearance and there he was, making the same mistake. Sure, the boy was weird with his lack of presences and his straight, emotionless face but his passes were just incredible.

Kagami found it a bit hard to look at him directly in the eyes. It reminded him too much of Nobutsuka in the dreams he wish he never had. They talked about the “Generation of Miracles”. Kagami couldn’t help but felt something in his heart being lit up from a faded kindle. Meeting this guy and knowing that there were people who were exceptionally good at basketball made him blood boil. What could the others do? He couldn’t help but wanted to meet them and beat them all.

Kuroko started to talk about him not be able to do it alone, at least not at this state. He couldn’t help but felt a bit annoyed at that. Sure, he never met them but he wasn’t that bad either. The word ‘shadow’ came again and now he started to refer to him as the ‘light’. The poetic comparison sounded good but that wasn’t all. If pairing up with this kid could help him playing with those people then he would take the chance.

That night, Kagami did not dream. Instead, he heard this strange conversation in his head instead.

 

_“I wish both of them start playing with other kids more. Nobutsuka-kun always trailed behind him like a shadow.”_

* * *

 

They ended up on the same table again when Kagami was having a good dinner at Maji Burger. This lack of presence was getting more and more ridiculous. How did he noticed him at all when he was sitting down?

It was good that both of them were being accepted to the club officially (with a price). Kagami already gave his reason why but he couldn’t help but being curious with Kuroko’s. He had to admit that Kuroko was a special kind of player. With all those skills, why did he stay in a new school like Seirin. Why didn’t he follow other Miracles out there?

“I felt that we lack something.”

He didn’t tell him what it is. Perhaps it was because it wasn’t really the time for Kuroko to open up everything yet. They barely knew each other. Still, Kagami couldn’t brush of the feeling that he met Kuroko before somewhere. Maybe it was just a brief meeting on the street that he couldn’t remembered (with Kuroko’s presence, he wouldn’t be surprised). There was a sense of familiarity in the air when he was close to Kuroko that be couldn’t work out why. Perhaps it was because he shared the same eye with the boy he had been dreaming for a long time.

“Hey, this is going to come out weird but,” he couldn’t believe that he was asking Kuroko this question, “I felt that we met each other before Seirin.”

“That is possible. Maybe Kagami-kun walked passed me on some street court.”

“Yeah,” there was a pang of disappointment in his throat. He didn’t know why but he knew that he just felt disappointed. “Maybe.”

What was he thinking? They were just acquaintances. They just met for a few days and barely talk to each other. The disappointed that he felt was something unexplainable. What was Kagami hoping that Kuroko remember when he didn’t know what it was himself?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami started to see some similarity between Nobutsuka and Kuroko.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: Ahhhh I really love writing this fic. This is probably the fastest written fic I had ever written in my life. Thank you for those who bookmarked and leaving kudos, they made me really happy and motivated. Please, please do listen to the skit or read the translation if you don’t understand Nobutsuka and Junben’ story. I will refer back to the skit a LOT in the flashback. The link is in the first chapter :)

Kagami didn’t have the dream a few nights after that. Perhaps it has reverted back to the usual pattern. He didn’t want to talk about his dream to anyone because it seemed too silly. It was just a dream, nothing more. That was he was until he met Kuroko. He started to felt that there was some uncanny resemblance between Kuroko and Nobutsukawhether it was the way they talked, their mannerism and especially their physical appearance. He didn’t want to start piecing things together because it could easily turn into an obsession. So, Kagami continued his days of school and club activities. He lived in the reality and not dreams after all.

The first of the Miracles he met was a snobbish, cocky yet talented Kise Ryouta. He couldn’t help but challenged the guy right away. He thirsted for a good play with someone. It only took a short moment, a few seconds for Kise to beat him with ass flat on the floor.  That was supposed to bring down the spirit of many players but many players weren’t Kagami. Kagami took failures and defeat as a new goal, a new challenge. That was one of quality many people envied him. Kagami found joy in surprising people who once thought that he was weak.

If beating Kagami wasn’t a surprise to Seirin yet, it was when he started to talk to Kuroko and tried to get him to change school. That was downright rude. Even if Kagami didn’t say anything, he felt insulted when he said that Kuroko was wasting his talents away by staying in Seirin. Seeing Kise’s play, Kagami could see some of his teammates’ face. There was a chance that Kuroko will accept that offer. Who wouldn’t want to be in a team that has everything to ensure their victory? But then Kuroko bowed and politely declined Kise’s offer.

“I made a promise to Kagami-kun.”

He didn’t know that he let out a small breath when Kuroko mentioned the promise he made to Kagami. Kise’s attempt to intimidate and steal away their new player hit him back. Deep down, Kagami wasn’t worried at all that Kuroko would leave them. Kuroko wasn’t the type that would leave people when he gave his words.

They were going to have a practice match with Kise’s school. Facing one Miracle was terrifying enough but facing a team with one? That only made Kagami’s heart beat with excitement. He couldn’t wait to play again. That day, Kagami and Kuroko went back home together.

“So Kise was very good at basketball because he spent time with the Generation of Miracles and observe how they play basketball?”

“Yes, he was a quick learner. That was why he can excel at many other sports as well. In fact, the reason that he stick with basketball was probably because it wasn’t boring I guess,” Kise admitted once that he was the weakest amongst the other 4. He couldn’t imagine how good the others were.

That night, he couldn’t sleep as usual. Blood was roaring in his ears and his head kept repeating the event that happened yesterday. That was also why he fell asleep a little when they were on the train on their way to Kanagawa. One hour was probably enough for him to rest his bloodshot eyes. What he didn’t expect was for the dream to return.

_“I’m here since the beginning!”_

_“Are you trying to dig your own grave brat?!”_

_“I didn’t cut in the line! I swear!” the teenager was jerking back Nobutsuka’s long hair back and caused him to cried out. Junben could felt his blood boiled as he came back to see if Nobutsuka managed to get their dumplings._

_“You bastard! Let him go!” he charged in and tackled the taller teenager down. Fists rained down on the boy’s face until he let go of the white locks in his hand._

_“Junben-kun! That’s enough, I’m okay now,” Junben’s fist stopped in mid-air. The guy beneath him could barely open his eyes from the swollen bruises on his face. The people are the area were all looking at him with frowns and whisper of “ill-manner orphans” floating around them. They would never understand what he and Nobutsuka went through._

_In the end, they didn’t get their dumplings when the owner shooed them out for all the fuss they brought to the shop. Junben and Nobutsuka went back to the orphanage empty handed. The ‘old man’ greeted them as they entered the old shack that was their home. He was the one who took them in when they both lose everything. He could be a little weird and also awfully cheerful at the same time. Although he was their partial guardian, he looked young enough to be their brothers. Even then, every kid called him ‘old man’._

_Before they could go to their dining room for their dinner, Junben noticed that there were a group of people talking to the ‘old man’. He couldn’t help but became curious at these people. Visitors were rare for them. Ever since his stay in this orphanage, he had only seen two children being adopted by other family. Most were villagers who came to complain about the mess the orphans made which resulted in his guardian humbly apologized and asked if there was any damage. Junben was on the top of the list for that. When he peaked into the room those people were in, one of them noticed him and elbowed the middle-aged man who was talking to the ‘old man’. He was pointing right at Junben._

_“That kid. It was that kid that punched Toshimaru.”_

_The first thing that came into his mind was to leap from his spot and hide. He was in trouble again from the stunt that he pulled. Not that he regret from punching the guy, he was hurting Nobutsukaso he deserved it._

_“Are you in trouble because of me again?” Nobutsuka’s voiced came from behind which caused him to jump in surprise. From the worried look on his face, he must have heard the conversation too._

_“Junben-kun,” the door behind him slid open. Instead of looking angry, his caretaker looked…happy? Junben couldn’t make out what happen. Why was his ‘old man’ happy when he just knew that Junben punched someone?_

_He was invited inside the room with the other four men but Nobutsuka was told to stay outside. He gave Junben the last worried look before he was ushered into the room._

_“Let me get this straight,” the man who seemed to be the leader of the group spoke up as soon as he sat down, “I want to adopt the boy into the Muruto clan. We could use some fiery young spirit like him.”_

_Junben raised his head in surprised. Didn’t he just beat some guy from their clan? And now they wanted to welcome him into their group? He was usually the loud obnoxious kid but now, all he could do was staying silent._

_“We are about to leave for our compound tomorrow. I know that it was sudden but we would want him to come with us. Our master would love to have him as the apprentice, he love kids who had conviction in his actions. He would be a good warrior.”_

_Everything seemed so surreal to him. Did his stupid stunt just earn him a place in some great clan? He couldn’t believe that this was happening to some random orphan like him. They left shortly after that, leaving him smiling. He was going to have a family, something he lost many years ago._

_“Junben-kun?” when he heard that voice. His heart stopped beating for a second. He just forgot that the man only said that he was taking him in only. That meant that he would part from Nobutsuka, the person who shared his weal and woes ever since he stepped into this shack. He wondered if he should really go with them and leave Nobutsuka behind._

_“Nobutsuka…I-”_

_“That is amazing Junben-kun! You are going to be adopted and they are going to train you. You are going to become the great warrior just like how you dream!” Nobutsuka looked so happy as if the thought of parting him never crossed his mind. Did he really not think about that at all?_

_“But what about you? Who’s going to protect you from those bullies? Who is going to play with you from now on? I can’t just leave you alone, Nobutsuka,” he could feel Nobutsuka’s hands on his own. Its warmth tried to reassured him that Nobutsuka would be alright on his own._

_“I have to grow stronger. So that I could fight beside you too. Remember our promise? We will create a world without orphans and fight for the peaceful world. And even if we ended up on a different path, we would find each other again. I really believe that Junben-kun. So please, take this opportunity. This is your path, Junben-kun. You need to-”_

“…wake up, Kagami-kun. We are at Kanagawa,” Kagami’s tired eyes slowly opened to see the bright blue colour. He wasn’t sure if he really woke up from his dream or not. If it wasn’t the sound of the train’s door sliding open, he would be sure that he was still in that dream. He brain was still a bit fuzzy from waking up and standing up too quickly made him dizzy. This was going to be a rough match for him.

* * *

 

Kagami had to admit that without Kuroko, he didn’t stand a chance against Kise. Kuroko was Kise’s weakness. No one could copy his lack of presence except for being born with the same abnormal trait. He could see Kise getting more and more frustrated with the play. And just that moment when they were about to turn back for a ball, an accident occurred that caused something in his chest to stop moving.

Seeing Kuroko falling wasn’t what caused him that tight feeling in his chest. It was the sight of blood flowing from a cut hidden in behind his bang. Accidents could happen in any kind of sport, basketball included. He had seen many injuries during the time he spend with street play back in US. Seeing blood wasn’t something new to him either, he had some close runs to death during his time in US too. Then why did he felt this uncontrollable uneasiness in his chest when he saw Kuroko bleeding?

He couldn’t say a thing other than asking if he was alright.  He was also the one who helped Hyuuga carrying Kuroko back to the bench for a quick first aid. Even if somewhere in his head kept telling him that Kuroko was tougher than he seemed (the guy wasn’t that weak), he just felt wrong by seeing him lying motionlessly on the mat. The same familiar feeling that this event happened before also struck him as he glanced back at his unconscious friend. It was the same feeling when he asked Kuroko if they had met somewhere before.

He felt the need to win this game even more than the first time he entered the court. Even without Kuroko, he needed to be able to do this. He needed to get stronger on his own as well. Although, it seemed that they were doing alright, the pace started to fall down as their seniors couldn’t keep up with the other team.

“Seirin, member change!”

 

When he saw the mop of blue hair entered the court, he knew that everything was going to be alright. Kuroko wasn’t that weak after all. Unconsciously, Kagami also felt that tightness in his chest being lifted away when he received the passes from Kuroko.

* * *

 

“Someday, you two would part ways.”

Kagami wasn’t the one to eavesdrop on other people conversation but the way that Kise said about him and Kuroko parting way sounded so ominous that he just couldn’t help it. Was Kise still trying to drag Kuroko to join his team by manipulating? And what did Kise meant by Kuroko respecting him for his attitude towards Basketball?

Kagami wouldn’t want to hear more of this and decided to cut in. He wouldn’t let Kise bad mouthing about him to plant a seed of doubt in his teammates more than this. Even with that straight face of his, he could see the slight hint of uncertainty in Kuroko’s eyes. He didn’t know what kind of game was Kise planning to play but he thought that it was important for him to stop Kise from saying anything more. What was more important right now was getting Kuroko back to Seirin and went home. But Kuroko had to pull out another stunt and confront the bullies in the court right next to them.

“What the hell was he doing?!” he couldn’t believe that Kuroko just confronted 5 big bullies on his own. Just when the guy pulled Kuroko’s jersey, something inside him snapped. A vision of Nobutsuka’s hair being pulled by that teenager came into his mind and he sprinted to the court with Kise following behind him. He put his hand on Kuroko’s head protectively…wait, when did he felt that he needed to protect this guy?

Those bullies did not stood a chance of course. They were up against an invisible player and two very good player after all. Even if it’s a five on three, those bullies were easily defeated. Kagami ended up gave Kuroko a lecture on picking with thugs. What was Kuroko thinking when he marched into the court and tried to talk to those people about violence when they didn’t seemed to care?

“I just wanted to tell them.”

It turned out that he just didn’t like bullying. Perhaps Kuroko wasn’t as passive as he thought. Or else, he wouldn’t do what he just did. Still, Kuroko wasn’t thinking clearly about the consequence or the potential threat about being beaten to pulp by those thugs.

Soon, Kise left with some kind of resolve in his heart (and called him ‘Kagamicchi’?). Kagami thought that maybe the guy wasn’t as bad as he thought after all. He did help Kuroko with the thugs after all. Kuroko asked him if he heard the conversation with Kise and Kagami just couldn’t deny it. He had to admit that he didn’t really get along with Kuroko at first. It was a wondered that he and Kuroko could pulled out a great combination on court. Maybe it was when he knew what Kuroko was capable of and he was strong in his own way. Kagami respected Kuroko for that. He showed that strength in Basketball didn’t have to come from scoring only. It was Kuroko that made it possible for Seirin to beat Kaijo. But because it was a different kind of strength, he couldn’t do it alone.

“ _And even if we ended up on a different path, we would find each other again._ ”

He could faintly hear Nobutsuka’s word echoing in his ears. So what if they parted? Would they eventually be parted forever? Kuroko said himself that Kagami couldn’t beat the  _Generation of_  miracles alone just like how Kuroko couldn’t do it. They would still need each other and that was their basketball.

“Kagami-kun, you said deep things sometimes,” he didn’t know what caused him to say something as embarrassing as that to Kuroko. ‘You’ll always stand by the light,’ where the hell did he got that from. That was some poetic shit right there!

“But really, thank you Kagami-kun. For saying it that and also for coming to get me,” he thought for a second that there were blushes creeping up his cheek. Damn Kuroko and his ability to say things like that so normally.

Just like someone in his dream.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the first time, Kagami didn't see Nobutsuka in his dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: If you wondered why Kagami still referred Kuroko as his friends, it was because I want this to be a slow building or as slow as I could (I suck at writing a slow pace relationship building :P) Thank you for all your kudos, comments and bookmarks. It means to much to me. Again, try to ignore the grammatical mistakes. English is not my first language but I will try my best! Enjoy!

Life continues on Seirin. Kagami could get used to Riko’s killer workout and Hyuuga’s constant  _clutch time._ What he could never get used to was Kuroko’s lack of presence which always got him good. The guy was like a ghost that wondered around where ever he went and just talked out of nowhere. At first, he thought that having an invisible guy following him around was downright creepy and he felt uncomfortable. But now, he couldn’t imagine hanging out with someone else aside from Kuroko.

There was something about Kuroko that intrigued him aside from his basketball. They were the complete opposite to be honest. While he was quite loud (or very loud according to everyone), Kuroko spoke softly though not to the point it was going to be a whisper. He so little compared to Kagami’s big appetite. While Kagami would charge head on to the problem, Kuroko would just held back for a second and think before move on. Everything about Kagami seemed to contradict everything that was Kuroko. People who never knew them would never believe that these were friends at all. It was that difference that made them worked so well together on court.

Hanging out with Kuroko made him discovered a few things. First was that Kuroko wasn’t as emotionless as everybody think. Under that still masked of his held a casket of emotions that could hardly resurface. There were moments that he saw it slipped. He knew that Kuroko eyes’ would widen and looked as if it sparkled when he saw cute animals. He knew that Kuroko hate bullies to the core and won’t hesitate to walk up to them just to tell them that violence is bad (not to beat them of course, he couldn’t hurt anyone really). He hated carbonated drinks because he couldn’t drink anything fizzy. Anything outside basketball about Kuroko seemed so…normal. To everyone else, Kuroko just seemed so ordinary that he seemed boring. Somehow to him, Kuroko just seemed so normal (maybe too normal) that he became so interesting.

They had beaten both Shutoku and Seiho which was a wonder. He got an injury from the result of straining his legs and a swollen cheek from Kuroko’s punch. He wouldn’t lie and tell that it didn’t hurt because as scrawny as he looked, Kuroko could pull a mean punch. If Kuroko could punch a basketball at the speed that normal people couldn’t catch, his punch would be as hard as that. It could rival the punched he got from Himuro. Thinking back about it, he did deserve that punch for being so selfish and acting like an idiot.  Kuroko was more than a teammate. He became the moral compass for the team.

He didn’t even need to look into the mirror to know that there was a bruise there. Kuroko might not have a powerhouse of stamina like him but his strength was still admirable. The guy was the kind that got into action rather than talking words. It was another thing that he discovered about Kuroko too. It still hurt and the touch on the bruise probably stung.

As soon as he entered the locker, Kagami was surprised to find Kuroko apologizing to him.

“I’m sorry for punching you,” Kagami thought that his brain switched off for a second, “Although I am glad that you got your sense back after it.”

Kagami rubbed the at the back of his head. He could also see the dark patch on Kuroko’s cheek too. He didn’t really hold back for punching the guy either. “Ah, don’t worry, I did deserve that punch. I am also…sorry for punching you.”

Comparing his bruise to Kuroko, the angry welt looked darker on Kuroko’s pale skin. He felt like a trash for punching Kuroko like that, like he was not different from those bullies that tried to pick on Kuroko on that day. It was a wonder why Kuroko wasn’t angry at him for it.

“You’re not angry at me at all?” he asked.

“For what?” Kuroko gave him a confused look. This guy was really impossible.

“For punching you and…being a self-centered idiot like that,” granted that they did won together and Kagami finally understood what an idiotic choice he made by trying to play alone.

“Is Kagami-kun, angry at me for punching and not agreeing with you earlier?”

“W-What? Of course not!” how could he be angry, he was the one who was at fault there, “You punched me for a reason and now that I know how much of an ass I was yesterday, why should I be angry at you?”

Then Kuroko just smiled. It felt wrong, seeing him smile even with that purple welt on his face. It was the same face that he saw in his dream countless time. Nobutsuka’s bruised face that smiled at him. “If getting a bruise helped me getting Kagami-kun back to his senses then it’s worth it. It will fade in time so don’t worry about it please Kagami-kun.”

He felt even more like a total douche with Kuroko’s answer. What did he do to deserve such a good friend like Kuroko who would forgive him so easily?

“Well, I guess that…I need to thank you for punching me back to senses,” he slumped onto the ground. His legs were giving out and he could not move at all. Kuroko slumped beside him from exhaustion as well. It was a rough day for both of them.

“I glad that it worked. I was honesty thought that it would take more than a punch to knock Kagami-kun into senses.”

 

“OI!”

* * *

 

That night, the dream came back. Maybe it was because he was so exhausted that he could barely take a shower or because he ate quite a lot at the Okonomiyaki. Kagami fell asleep as his head hit the pillow. He expected to see Nobutsuka in his dream just like always but he was wrong. In his dream, Nobutsuka was nowhere to be seen.

_Many years had passed and Junben grew up under the Head of Muruto clan’s tutelage. Junben excelled at sword fighting and martial arts. He even took down some bandits himself which earned the respect of the people of his clan. He rose in the rank very quickly for a newcomer that whispered started to go around that he was favoured by the head of the clan. He never thought much about it. Junben worked harder than the others because a lot of people in the clan were better than him. He was just some orphan being brought to the clan for his fiery spirit and a shade of stubbornness that Yoshitsune, the man that found him, thought that it would be an interesting addition to the family. Comparing to the professional swordsmen and fighters in the clan, his street brawl was nothing but a child’s play. The other kids in the clan laughed at him for his weakness. He was thankful for it as he returned the laugh back tenfold as he improved himself at a rapid rate. In the end, the stray child that everyone laughed at came up top and even able to beat his instructor. No one ever laughed at him again after that._

_All the time that he missed his long lost companion. Because the Muruto Clan had a strict rules for communication with people outside the clan, Junben could not send any letters to Nobutsuka. This was mostly to prevent any kind of information from falling into the hands of the rival clan or mainly speaking, the Matsudira clan. During his time in the Muruto compound, he lost count of the amount of time the alarm bell rang as a sign that the Matsudira clan was attacking them. He was only involved in the fight only a few times and he knew that the Matsudira wasn’t just any normal clan. While both of the clans possessed the same level of warriors, Muruto were more aggressive compare to Matsudira’s tactical plan. Their clan was known for the excellent strategists and tactical swordplay. They might not have many aggressive fighters but their swordsmanship techniques were the one to behold. He didn’t know what caused the feud between these two clans. It was probably dragged back to the time where the Land of Rising Sun was in the state of Chaos._

_On the day that Junben turned 16, he asked for a permission to visit his childhood friend and his orphanage. He never felt more relief when the head of the clan granted him the permission. He wondered what happened to his Nobutsuka. Did he grow up well? Was he still bullied by the others in the village? Before he left, he promised that he would return and if possible, asked for Nobutsuka to come with him so that they could fight beside each other like how they promised. He couldn’t wait to see his childhood friend and fulfil the oath they once proclaimed._

_He left the village as a young boy who knew nothing of the world outside his village. Junben was now a young man with the body of a warrior. Most of the people in the village could not recognise him. He could hear a whisper or two of those who recognised him by the colour of his hair the scars on his nose. They could not believe that the orphan they once detested grown up to be a member of a powerful clan. Who could have? Even Junben could not believe it himself. It wasn’t until he explored the old village for a little while that he noticed was that there were very few people living in the village now. There were many abandoned home along his way to the orphanage. An intuitive feeling that something bad happened while he was away made his stomach tied itself in a tightening knot. When he walked down the street that once leaded to his home, he was surprised to find the orphanage he once grew up with gone. What was left was an abandoned shack that creaked under the slightest breeze._

_“They were gone,” Junben heard a voiced spoke behind him. He knew that voice. It was the voice called him to come home and scold him whenever he got into trouble. He whipped his head back to see his ‘old man’, once a young man, now aged. He could spot a few white strands on his dirty mop of brown hair and wrinkles visible on his tired face. The sad voice that was once the voice of comfort during his childhood made his heart ached._

_“The children left long time ago,” the man didn’t need to step forward towards him. Junben rushed towards the man who raised him when nobody seemed to care and embraced him. He could never forget the kindness that this man gave him._

_“I’m here now,” there was a familiar parental pat on his head. They backed a little and his once foster guardian had his hand trailed down his face feature, scrutinized it and observe how much he had grown since the time he left._

_“You’ve grown up so well. Look at you, you are as tall as me now,” there were tears in his eyes and Junben swore that he was about to cry at some point too. He looked back at the place that was once his home and tried to picture what happen to it. The ‘old man’ knew what Junben was wondering and answered his questions._

_“A few months after you left, a group of bandits passed the area. They stole many things and burnt some of the houses just because they could. We thought that was it. A week after that, they came again. This time they killed some of the villagers…and even some of the children. They said they would be back again,” Junben couldn’t believe that something this bad was happening to the village. His thought went back on the day that he lost his real parents to the same kind of story. A group of bandits who just wanted some petty things like money. The thought that the village faced the same problem made his blood boiled. His heart was filled with anguish and worries. If Nobutsuka was one of those kids that had been killed he wouldn’t forgive himself for not being here with him and protecting him._

_“Was Nobutsuka-”_

_“No…he hid so well. We used to have about 8 children. After that raid, we were down to five,” Junben didn’t dare to ask which one of them died. He didn’t wanted their face to haunt him._

_“We thought that we were doomed. But then on their third visit, one clan came to help us. They were so strong, so powerful. They killed every single thug that came that day. That was the turning point. Some villagers left the village to stay in the town ruled by that clan because they think that it would be safer. And the children…” his voice faltered. Junben could only imagine the pain of living alone all these years, “When the bandits came, I knew now that I could not protect them. I begged for them to take the younger children in. It was for the best. I was surprised that they did and they took the two youngest children with them. The older children grew up and left the orphanage on their own. One day, all the children grew up”_

_“Old man, what is the name of that clan?” he needed to find Nobutsuka and brought him back to Muruto. He wouldn’t let Nobutsuka face that kind of pain again._

_“Matsudira” the name never felt so heavy. If his old man was right, then Nobutsuka was under the care of the clan that was his rival._

_“So Nobutsuka-”_

 

_“He was adopted by the Matsudira clan,” the last hope to be reunited with Nobutsuka withered away. If Nobutsuka was adopted by Matsudira, then he was probably be trained by them and became one of their samurais. Perhaps he was one of those people he fought during those attacks. What if he or even one of his clan members killed him already? In the end, he didn’t even know what happen to Nobutsuka. The unknown fate of his childhood friend ate him away slowly as he set his foot away from his past. He thought that he should be here with Nobutsuka through all those horrible times. He should have been the one saving him. He prayed to all the spiritual being that he never thought of pleading to in his life for the safety of his dear childhood friend. What would he give to see him again? Everything._

Kagami woke up with a pair of burning legs and a strong a sensation of tightness in his throat. It was as if the emotions that Junben felt were transferred back to him. He also wondered himself what happened to Nobutsuka. It was probably the first dream he had where Junben was not with Nobutsuka. It was probably weird but Kagami actually wanted to know what happen next. It was the dream that he had since he was little and now he actually grew attached to it.

“Oh crap ,” he tried to stand up and get out of bed only to find the real extend of his injuries. It was as if someone stretched his legs like some elastic bands and froze them in the freezer. With the Inter High coming up and another Miracle that need to be beaten, he needed to recover from this injuries as soon as possible.

* * *

 

Aomine was terrifying. He wasn’t the type of person that was easily intimidated by an opponent but Aomine did make him felt that vibe of an intimidating opponent. Kagami knew that he shouldn’t be playing in his state but his stupid instinct to just play with the strong opponent won the battle with his restrain.  He played with Aomine and further injured his legs. Now, there was a chance that his legs wouldn’t heal in time. What a stupid decision to make. Kagami thought that he might need another punch from Kuroko (although Riko actually made up for it).

Hearing stories about Aomine’s relationship with Kuroko from the guy himself actually made a small question in his head. Aomine said himself that he wasn’t the only light that Kuroko had. Was he somehow a kind of replacement for Kuroko’s old light?

He trusted Kuroko so far. Kuroko was true to his words and support Seirin with his best ability. He trusted Kuroko with those ridiculous passes. But did Kuroko trust him the same way that he trusted Kuroko? He felt that there was something more about Kuroko and his old teammates from Teiko that he didn’t knew about yet. They might have been friends but Kuroko wasn’t the most open person to talk with. The guy was so reserved and built a wall around himself with his politeness and emotionless face.

Kagami wanted Kuroko to trust him just like how Kuroko used to trust Aomine, not only for the team but also because Kagami felt that they both needed this. They needed this trust that Kuroko seemed to lose from his old teammates. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seirin was defeated, Kagami and Kuroko sort out their things and Kagami finally saw Nobutsuka in his dream again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: Sorry for the long wait. Here’s chapter 5! I will try to update every two days or so. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, especially the flashback.

They lost.

Seirin was completely crushed by Touou and somehow, Kagami felt that it was partially his fault. If he wasn’t as hot headed and play with Aomine on that day, his legs wouldn’t be as shitty as it was now. He would be able to play the whole game. Kagami couldn’t look at Kuroko on the court. He refused to watch Seirin, his team, being destroyed bit by bit. He couldn’t watch as Aomine tore Kuroko into pieces. All he felt was anger. He was angry at himself, at Aomine and at everything that he could think of for making things ended up this way. Why was he so weak? Why couldn’t he beat Aomine?

He believed in Kuroko. He believed that Kuroko would get what he meant in the locker. Kagami trust that Kuroko could picked up the pieces and stand up again because he knew that Kuroko could do it. What Kagami didn’t expected was how being defeated by Aomine affected Kuroko that much.

The next two matches were even more painful for Kagami than the one with Touou. Even if Kagami couldn’t see it in his emotionless face, Kagami could see it in Kuroko’s passes. He watched as Kuroko stumbled on his steps. He watched Kuroko’s passes that were once so sharp went out of control. The passes that he knew would never miss its target when passing. The most frustrating thing was that Kagami wasn’t there on the court. Kagami couldn’t be there to help his team in the slightest way. All he could do was watching from the benches as he watched his team descended. He wished that he was there just to knock some sense into Kuroko but he also knew that right now, Kuroko didn’t need another yelling into senses. From his passes, he knew that Kuroko was too messed up for a lecture. His mind was cluttered with emotions and after thoughts of the match with Aomine for a yelling session with Kagami.

Seirin’s journey in Inter High came to an end.

For Kagami, their lost might have been frustrated to him but he knew that for Kuroko, the lost must have been a salt rubbed in the wound. Kagami may not know the real story behind Kuroko and his old team but he get the picture that they didn’t part as friends, just like how he parted with Himuro. Whatever Kuroko was feeling right now, whatever kind of doubts that he had with himself and Seirin, he needed to step past it. And Kagami thought that some distance would help him. He also needed some time for himself to cool down his head.  The scenes of Seirin defeat by Touou would haunt him for his weakness  _for now_. He would make sure that he would beat Aomine next time. He needed to become stronger, and to do that he needed to know how to play without relying on Kuroko too much.

Distancing himself from both Kuroko and Seirin was actually easier than he thought. They did call him a few times to check with his injuries but nothing more than that. Kuroko seemed to avoid him at all cause. Was he feeling guilty about not being able to beat Aomine? From what the other first years told him, Kuroko’s passes still lack the accuracy and its sharpness. Somehow, Kagami had a feeling that it wasn’t the defeat itself that caused Kuroko to act like that.

Although he wished that he wouldn’t have to face Seirin, he knew that he had to come to practice eventually when his legs healed. He came back to see a new (or more of an old) addition to the team, Kiyoshi Teppei. Practice was as frustrating as usual because Kagami felt the need to vent all of his pent up frustration from losing to Touou. He knew deep down that it wasn’t fair to do that to his teammates. It felt as if he was back to square one again, just like on the first day that he stepped into this same gym.

Kagami went back early because he felt that if he practiced more, things might got a bit more complicated than just some foul. Thinking back on his actions today made him realised that he was like the Generation of Miracles in some way or more specifically, like Aomine. He relied on himself and not his teammates.  

“Dammit,” he muttered to himself when he reached home. What was he thinking lashing on his teammates like that? Now just reminded Kuroko about his old team all over again. He didn’t need to look at him for that, he could almost hear Kuroko’s thought from far away. It probably reminded Kuroko about his speech with Kise. But Kagami needed to be better. He needed to be the ace that his team could rely on, the light that could darken Kuroko’s shadow. To do that, he needed to improve himself first by doing it alone and stop relying solely on Kuroko.

Sleeping was easy for him on that night. Somehow, he knew before he closed his eyes that the dream was going to come back to him. He could hear the sound of metals clashing from the back of his mind as his conscious drifted away into the other world.

_“That’s enough for now, I need to speak with Junben,” Yoshitsune’s voiced boomed from the the back of the yard they all practiced. The trainees quickly bowed to their opponents before rushing out of the courtyard, leaving their instructor alone with their best warrior, Muruto Junben._

_Ever since his return from the village, Junben trained even harder than before because that was the only thing that he could do to keep his mind of the memories of his friend. He wished with all his might that he wouldn’t need to cross his blade with Nobutsuka. He prayed that the Matsudira clan did not make Nobutsuka a samurai like him. He could not imagine the gentle, honest and kind Nobutsuka a killer like him. Yes, Nobutsuka said that he wanted to fight by Junben’s side but now that Junben knew the real horror of war and conflicts, he wished that they could take back on those words._

_Yoshitsune invited him to the tea room to talk about their latest news on the Matsudira clan. There were rumors going around that a new assassin joined in their ranks. This certain assassin was able to throw some ninjas of guard and slaughtered several trespasser of their clan. Rumors went by that this certain assassin was a ghost. It was impossible to detect him even in daylight. It was something that the Muruto clan needed to be worried about._

_“We don’t know if this assassin was someone from their clan or if the Matsudira hired them or not. They said that his could conceal his presence completely. He is also very good at observing his target. Several ninjas we hired to spy on they were caught and probably killed. How did the Matsudira obtained that assassin is amaze me,” Yoshitsune couldn’t hide his concern when talking about this new assassin with Junben. He tea cup in his hand were slightly shaken from the tremor in his hand. Yoshitsune had faced many fearsome opponents in his life but he never faced someone with this skill in disappearing before. To face with an enemy on one could detect, just how would one fight with them?_

_“So we still don’t have anything about the assassin except for that he is in the Matsudira clan?”_

_“This is why I asked for you, Junben. You are my best student and the Master trusts you more than anyone. There are words going out that the Matsudira’s outer village is going to be attacked sometime tomorrow by another clan. The assassin would likely to be there for sure. I want you to observe their fight and report back his ability,” Junben nodded and accepted the mission gratefully. This new enemy they were going to face was going to give them a hard time. Junben had been on many recon missions but something told him that this mission was going to be different. He set up and departed an hour later._

_He disguised himself as a simple wanderer passing by the village. Thanks to his time as a commoner, he knew what to do to blend in the crowd better than the others. Thinking about his past only led him to think back about Nobutsuka. Would he find Nobutsuka here now that he was in the Matsudira territory? He knew that Nobutsuka was taken in by the Matsudira clan but as what? Nobutsuka was smarter than he thought. He would probably be a good scriber or some scholars. There was one time that Nobutsuka wrote a short poem for their old man and it was very beautiful. There was no way that they would make Nobutsuka a fighter with when he would be more use off the battlefield._

_Patience during recon mission is something that Junben could never get used to. There wasn’t a specific time stated when the Matsudira was going to be attacked. He stayed in the village at a small inn. Junben had to admit that the village that Matsudira taken care of was doing quite well comparing to where the he once stayed as an orphan._

_Junben took a walk around the street before dawn. If there was going to be an attack, it was most likely to be when people are less active or when they were still drowsy. It was hard to notice but he did spot the intruders skidding off the straw roof, one by one. They were lighted foot kind of soldiers, probably sneaked in to assassinate some high profile member. Although they weren’t detected by anyone, the intruders were still under skilled. If he could spot them, then so could the Matsudira or at least some skilled members they had in possession. The question was, why didn’t Matsudira handled them right away?_

_He could count at least five of them in his sight. They probably sent at least ten but no more than twenty for this mission. He hoped that he could follow them long enough to know what they were doing in the Matsudira’s territory._

_A small groan came from one of intruders was followed by a small thud. Junben knew that the counter attack was beginning and hid behind one of the house. He could see shadow figures of the intruders falling one by one but he could not see what was killing them, all falling down from top like leaves in autumn.  It was as if a ghost killed them from behind before moved on to the next target. This must be the mysterious assassin Yoshitsune was talking about. Now that he witnessed the assassin with his own eyes, he knew why Yoshitsune was so afraid of the assassin. He could not track where he was going at all. One of the corpses that fell from the roof was near where he was hiding. The soldier was killed by a single deep cut to his throat. There was no way this was an attack from a long range. This assassin was a perfect concealer of presence. Junben’s gut turned over when he realized that there was only one person that he knew who was capable of doing it._

_“Round up the bodies. We have one alive here, take him to the interrogation room,” he heard one of the guards shouting in the distance. So the Matsudira knew all along that they were going to be attacked. They were not alarm at all._

_He followed the voice only to find a dozen of guards laying the bodies of the intruders down next to each other. Thirteen of them dead with a single deep cut to a vital point and one left alive. The Matsudira was getting stronger than he could imagine._

_“Find out which clan they are from and return the bodies to their clan. Let them buried their dead ones,” a voice came out from the darkness. It was the voice that he thought that he had heard it before. Of course, the voice changed due to time. It was only natural. Junben didn’t like the way that it sounded. The voice sounded so…monotonous. There wasn’t the same kind of life left in that voice that he used to hear when he was little._

_“Nobutsuka-sama,” the guards bowed in greeting as Matsudira Nobutsuka came into their view. There was no mistaken that the person who he just heard was Nobutsuka now. Junben unconsciously clutched his chest at the sight of his childhood friend. He had grown up so much. His hair definitely got longer and he grew a lot taller now. On the side of his Hakama was his two swords, the long one and the tanto. Nobutsuka became one of the Matsudira’s samurai. Nobutsuka was the Matsudira’s phantom assassin._

_Junben let that information sank into him slowly as he tried to swallow something that seemed to cluttered in his throat. There was coldness in Nobutsuka’s eyes. He probably had seen the blood and death just as Junben did. Junben still remembered when those eyes were filled with the light of innocent. Those same eyes were now clouded by the memories of the lives he took. The weight of the body count that Nobutsuka made seemed to weight down on his shoulders. Junben knew it the moment he saw him. He cursed himself for letting this happen. He couldn’t stop his friend from being involved in this war between the two clans. He should stay behind with Nobutsuka on that day. He shouldn’t leave Nobutsuka to face this alone._

_Junben watched Nobutsuka giving orders to the guards before walking away. That was when he saw something that plucked the strings on his heart. On Nobutsuka’s hair was the black hair clip that he got for him. It looked like it had been scratched but the clip was still here, worn my Nobutsuka. He couldn’t believe his eyes but there was no deny that the memento of their past together was still there with Nobutsuka. Perhaps, there was still hope that they could be together again. Junben wanted nothing more than to keep hoping on their promise. But at the same time, that hope is waning from what he was seeing._

_Nobutsuka became an emotionless tool for the Matsudira clan. He was being used by the head of the clan and their members to do their dirty job that they didn’t want their hands on. What power would he need to get in order to break those chains from his dear childhood friend?_

* * *

 

Kagami woke up to his alarm clock ringing behind his head. That was one intense dream. He thought for a second that Junben’s confusion was his own. He could feel the hopelessness that Junben was feeling. It was the same thing that he felt when he watched Seirin being defeated by Touou and other schools. The way that Junben felt about Nobutsuka was also how he felt about Kuroko. He didn’t know how he was going to help his friend. This blending of identity was going to make him mad someday.  

Today was supposed to be their practice game with only first year players. It was also the first time they really talked (which was kind of one sided) was when he told Kuroko that it was okay if Kuroko didn’t pass to him. Words weren’t Kagami’s expertise so he was more than sure that it came out the way he didn’t meant to. They won of course, but not by much. Kuroko, again, didn’t pass to him.

Kagami knew that Kuroko still doubted himself. Kuroko wasn’t thinking of himself highly to begin with. He proclaimed that he was a ‘shadow’ and some ‘supporting actor’ as proudly as Kagami could say ‘I can dunk’. Kuroko took pride in helping others but not much at what he could do for himself.  He thought that for a second, Kuroko needed to realise that he had something more than just being a support.

Hyuuga talked to him after the game about Kagami’s actions. He also thought that it was also a good to justify his actions. To his surprise, Hyuuga understood why and left Kagami to his muse. He knew that this could take a while before Kuroko would bounce back up. That was when the second surprise hit him when Kuroko came to find him on the street court, panting heavily from sprinting.

“I lied,” Kuroko confessed. He once thought that Kuroko was a simple guy. That was his first impression of Kuroko. Of course, what kind of person would just devote themselves to make someone a number one in Japan? He suspected that there must be some kind of underlying reason for Kuroko’s choice. So when, Kuroko came clean with him that his first intention was to use him, Kagami felt like giving himself a pat for being right. It would be a lie to say that he was unaffected by the confession.  He felt as if he was just a tool so that Kuroko could use to beat the Generation of miracles. He was just another ‘light’ that could be replaced so easily.

“Kagami-kun is different,” Kagami just started to wonder how different. Kuroko saw that he was capable of being selfish and play by himself many times. Hell, he got a punch from Kagami himself. What made him different from those Miracles?

“So far, Kagami-kun trusts me,” he felt very relief when he heard that. Finally Kuroko realised that he actually trust Kuroko, that he also believed in him. That night, Kagami listened to Kuroko proclaiming to him and himself that he would no longer doubt himself. He couldn’t feel more proud of his friend and himself. They were going to get stronger together and that was the promise the made together that day.

“Thank you Kagami-kun,” Kuroko said while they were in the Maji Burger, eating burgers (or sipping Vanilla shake in Kuroko’s case).

“Huh?”

“Thank you for listening all the way. Thank you for not getting angry when I told you the truth,” Kuroko’s hand clamped tightly on the cup, “To be honest, I was scared at first that Kagami-kun would be angry for lying to you, for attempting to use you. I am sorry for thinking so lowly of you Kagami-kun.”

Kuroko was looking down on his table. The Vanilla shake was forgotten as the second confession came out, “I once told you about how you were thinking like them, the Generation of Miracles but at the same time, I am also thinking like them. I tried to use you to accomplish my own goal. That is why I am really relief when Kagami-kun didn’t get angry at me at first, but I would understand if you-”

Kagami tossed one burger at Kuroko which he caught on his instinct. He looked up at Kagami with wide eyes. Kagami could only sigh. He didn’t just clear up one dark secret only to sport out another. This was going to be a long night for both of them.

“Look, everyone has their dark side alright. You saw me being the biggest jerk before. So what if you get a little manipulative? I will be so surprised if you didn’t let yourself became a priest after all those good morals you displayed. You are simply a human. You thought that you could cut corners and now that you know what you did is wrong, you can just start again. It’s as simple as that,” he munched on another burger from his pile, leaving Kuroko looked a little dumbfound with his words. Kuroko looked down on the burger in his hand and unwrapped it.

“You…are not angry?”

“If I am angry, I would have punched you right there on the court. Now, are you going to eat that or not?” Kagami finished his burger before unwrapped another one from the pile. He looked at Kuroko again to see him smile a little.

“What?”

“Nothing. Just that Kagami-kun is actually kinder than he thinks he is.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami discovered that angry Kuroko is scary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: There were times where I would sat in with my laptop for hours and I could only write 100 words. But there’s also moments where I could write 3000+ words within an hour. My brain is weird. The time progress in this chapter is ridiculous.
> 
> Also, I made a very tiny reference to a doujinshi which is a Kagami centred comic. It filled the gap after Kagami went back to Japan and entering Seirin. It’s not necessary to read it to understand this chapter but it is a very good doujin so please do check it out. - - - - - > [Part 1](http://jcminwell.tumblr.com/post/57777679745/kagami-congratulations-part-1) and [Part 2](http://jcminwell.tumblr.com/post/57777899546/kagami-congratulations-part-2)

Kagami had to admit that ever since their talk together, he and Kuroko grew a lot closer. They helped each other through the summer camp, offering thoughts about the possible regiments they could do to improve the skills they lacked. Kagami offered him some tips about dribbling he got from Alex while Kuroko proposed an exercise to improve the mobility of his left hand.

Since their summer camp together, both Kagami and Kuroko would meet for a practice together. It was a long process of trials and error for both of them and it wasn’t hard to get frustrated with the unsatisfying result.

“Kagami-kun, perhaps practicing wasn’t enough. Maybe you should also do something like using your left hand more on daily basis,” Kuroko said out of the blue during their practice. It seemed that just practice wasn’t enough for them to improve over the time of summer holiday. Kagami could only agree with what Kuroko had said. Time was something that they couldn’t have. Winter cup was not that far away and they were not the only one who practiced (well, aside from Aomine but Kagami was sure that they guy got something more than just his street play).

Kagami knew that other than the practice they had with Seirin and the one he and Kuroko did together, Kuroko also practised alone. Unlike other Miracles, Kuroko wasn’t the one born with natural talent. To be honest, Kagami thought that Kuroko was the real ‘Miracle’ of the Generation of Miracles. He didn’t have the physique for basketball, his stamina was below average. He couldn’t win with anyone with his height. Yet, Kuroko was able to play with others and even became one of the regulars for the Teiko team. Everything that Kuroko achieved was by his will power and not giving up to the crude reality before him. If the other Teiko members were the prodigies of basketball, Kuroko was the prodigy of diligence. Kagami deeply respected Kuroko for that.

New semester approached and Kagami knew that he would definitely face Aomine again. He would be ready this time. He might be a little shaken when they met in the Inter High but now, he wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

Something else also returned back to him this Winter Cup. What he didn’t expect was that something from his past would also come back to haunt him too. Himuro, his brother by bond, came back from the States and entered a High School. They were going to play against each other in the Winter Cup. Himuro was someone important to him. He was the one who made him discovered basketball. It was the moment where Kagami finally found something he was good at. He was an only child which was why he always wished that he had a brother. He didn’t want to severe that bond for the sake of being better at basketball.

Kuroko thought differently though. He gave Kagami a quick lecture when they were about to play with Himuro during the street competition. Kagami would love that too but he didn’t know how to make it possible. He wanted to settle this with Himuro so bad but it seemed that fate wanted him to play against everyone in the Winter Cup so bad. They didn’t manage to settle their score but Kagami witnessed something even scarier about his brother. The mirage shot that he made Kagami pondered whether he was ready for the Winter Cup at all.

The preliminaries came and everything went better than he thought. Even though the second play with Shutoku came out as a draw, Kagami knew that there was nothing that they could do. A Miracle was still something that shouldn’t be underestimated, especially when they manage to get that stick out of their ass and play for the team. Even if the result came as a draw, Kagami enjoyed every second of that match. What he enjoyed the most was seeing Kuroko had a little moment for himself. That Vanishing Drive that Kuroko practiced since his summer had finally had the chance to shine on court. He could see the panic in Shutoku players’ eyes as Kuroko blew past them with his new move. Even Takao looked so lost when Kuroko used his drive against him. He gave Kuroko one firm fist bump after the match for that. Maybe he should treat him one burger after the match.

It was after the match that he heard something unsettling from Kiyoshi. Their senpai who they just managed to meet after Inter High wouldn’t be playing with them for long. Alex already shared a fair share of her stories as a retired basketball player from illness. He also heard many stories of amazing basketball players who had to stop playing because of injuries. To think that someone like Kiyoshi would have the same fate was something that Kagami never expected. He thought that the reason why Kiyoshi had a break during the Inter High was because he was healing from the injury he received from his first year tournament.

What even pissed Kagami more was that the injury was made by a foul play from the team they were about to face the next day. Kagami hated dirty play to the core. He knew it from the experience with many street game back in the States. There was sometimes where a match ended up in a fist fight. He also had it once here too when he moved back to Japan. Some punks were frustrated that they couldn’t win against him and he ended up with another fight with them.

After Hyuuga finished the story about Kiyoshi and how Seirin team was form, Kagami’s blood felt the need to beat the light out of Hanamiya even more. He could felt that same anger radiated from Kuroko too. Kuroko would never sit down when there were bullies and people who play dirty involved. He just needed to make sure that Kuroko didn’t march in alone this time.

Hyuuga parted after that, leaving Kuroko and Kagami alone with the after thoughts.

“Tomorrow is not just a normal match, huh,” he looked over his shoulder to Kuroko who was silent all along since Hyuuga told them the story, “Everyone probably want a piece of that Hanamiya bastard.”

“They would probably try to play again tomorrow too,” even with his straight face, Kagami could tell that Kuroko was hiding his anger over what Kirisaki Daiichi did to Kiyoshi. Kuroko admired Kiyoshi a lot. If Kagami had to guess, it was the same way that he looked up to Himuro, a brother he never had.

“We need to be careful Kagami-kun. They could do the same thing to us. It would be bad if they did anything like that to you too,” Kagami was a little surprised that Kuroko was worried that he was going to a victim to Kirisaki’s foul play. He had to admit that he was tougher than most guys but if someone like Kiyoshi could fell into their trap then he also needed to be careful too.

“Don’t worry. I’m build like a tank-”

“But-”

“I think you should be more worried about yourself. A little bump or something wouldn’t harm me that much but you are a lot weaker than me. A bump from them could knock you unconscious on the court and that would give us more problems,” he could see Kuroko pouting. He was hiding well but Kagami could notice that Kuroko pouting that he point about his physical weakness.

“I’m not that weak. Kagami-kun is being mean saying that I am fragile,” Kuroko muttered with an almost inaudible voice. Kagami knew this too. Kuroko wasn’t weak but he was physically weak compare to every to the bulky Kagami. He sighed and put his hand on Kuroko’s head, ruffled it fondly.

“I know that, idiot.”

* * *

 

The dream that Kagami had that night was probably one of the most disturbing one he ever had in his life. During his summer holiday, he never had a single dream about Junben or Nobutsuka This was probably the first one he had in a long time and it caught him by surprise.

_“They might not be in our territory but we should show our responsibility as a big clan. Junben would lead the team to eliminate this so called superior clan that sought to harm the innocent villagers,” the head of Muruto clan, Muruto Hozuki proclaimed to his followers in their meeting. Junben was not only their foot soldiers but now one of their trusted general. He bowed as he accepted his mission. He couldn’t miss the proud look on Yoshitsune’s face._

_They were going on a simple mission, helping the village on their territorial border with a clan that terrorized them.  Even if the village wasn’t in their jurisdiction, the Muruto clan felt the need to help them in order to maintain the peace along their borders.  Junben would gladly accept the mission as long as he didn’t need to fight with any soldiers from the Matsudira._

_Ever since he discovered that Nobutsuka was an assassin for Matsudira clan, Junben didn’t want to be involved with any conflict between Muruto and Matsudira. He didn’t want to fight with Nobutsuka or anyone who might have been Nobutsuka’s friend. Junben had form a tight bond with several members of the Muruto family and he was sure that Nobutsuka had his fair share of friends too. He reported what he saw that day to Yoshitsune, the assassin was a highly skilled swordsman who could hide his presence and he should not be trifled with. They tried to limit any contact with the Matsudira clan since then in order to minimize the casualties. Of course, there were times where fights are inevitable and blood was shed. Junben wasn’t involved in most of them, most were attack on borders which he wasn’t in charged. Some of their soldiers could identify that Nobutsuka was involved in it although Junben never saw Nobutsuka again since then. He didn’t want to see Nobutsuka so lifeless, so emotionless like that again._

_Junben set out on his journey to liberate the village from the clan the threaten them along with 10 of the soldiers Yoshitsune prepared for him. They only rode for a while before Junben stopped all of them. He could see a tower of smoke rising in the distance from where the village supposed to be._

_“Get your weapons ready, there might be enemies when we get there,” everyone drew out their weapons ready as they galloped towards their destination. Junben could smelled the distinctive scent of burnt flesh as he grew closer followed by the coppery smell. He could almost taste the blood in his mouth._

_When the village came into view, Junben wondered if they were too late. Every house in his vision was lit up. There were bodies littered all around the ground. Some were hung on the trees. Junben get of the horse and instructed two of his soldiers to hide their horses. Fire would only made the horses panic._

_As Junben got closer to the site, he really wondered if it was really human who did all of these horrible things. Everyone in the village was slaughtered whether it was men or women, young or old. He could see it, the little hand in sticking out in the pile of bodies that he just walked pass. What on earth did these people do to deserve this?_

_“Why do people have to fight each other?” Nobutsuka asked him once and he still couldn’t understand it that much either._

_Junben walked up to one of the bodies of a kid who was holding the hand of another. There was a sword wound on his back and so was the little girl he was holding to. Perhaps this would be his and Nobutsuka’s if they stayed on the village that day. Their eyes were slightly opened. Junben could see the surprise in those eyes. These kids weren’t supposed to die like this. Junben reached out to closed their eyes and gave them the final rite. Junben mused on how lucky he was to be protected by the Muruto clan._

_“Junben-sama, another group of people are arriving!” one his soldiers were calling for him. He gave them a hand signal to fall back and hid themselves. Giving the last glance at the two children and conceal himself. The thundering sound of hooves galloping down the hill filled the air. The emblem on their flag confirmed that it was their target, the Iwazaki clan. Junben was about to unsheathe his blade and punished them for what they did but something else stopped him half way. The Iwazaki clan seemed to be running from something. There was a total unexplainable fear in their eyes._

_Junben still signalled for his troops to lay low. It seemed that someone was hunting the Iwazaki clan other than them too. As if on cue, a shower of arrows rained down upon them as if it was the punishment from the gods for what they did. The screech of the men who were once the tormentor echoed in the air in a very haunting way. Most of them were dead. Only a few of them were moaning in pain and trying to scramble away from something that Junben couldn’t see._

_“P…Please. Have mercy,” he could hear one of them say, or at least he thought that was the word the dying soldier said. He was holding the arrow that pieced his chest and was looking at something Junben couldn’t see. The quick swish sound of a sword never sound so clear in Junben’s ears as their mysterious executioner ended the life of the dying man._

_“You didn’t give them that choice,” an icy voice replied back._

_His stomach churned when he heard that voice. He knew who it was. That person came into view as he went to finish off the other surviving members of the Iwazaki clan. The stark white hair was now bright crimson just like his own as it was dyed by the enemies’ blood. Junben could barely recognise him anymore. If it wasn’t for that voice, he wouldn’t know who it was._

_Matsudira Nobutsuka brought down his Kanata on the soldier mercilessly. Their pleas were deaf to his ears just as it was drowned by the screams. There was no hesitation, no moments for a second thought. The Nobutsuka he was seeing was absolutely terrifying. Even Junben was so terrified by what he was seeing. There was pure anger on Nobutsuka's face. He even radiated an intense aura of rage around him that even Junben could felt it. No one could went up against him in this state._

_He looked back at his own soldiers who were waiting for orders. If it was any other person leading this troop, they would took his chance to attack the Matsudira for sure. But Junben knew how good Nobutsuka had become. He saw what Nobutsuka did to the Iwazaki, he wasn’t going to risk the same thing. He ordered everyone to retreat silently and escape from the area._

_Junben didn’t even think of looking back at his childhood friend._

Kagami felt like throwing up when he woke up because the smell of the blood was still clogging up his nose. That was one disturbing dream he just had. He didn’t even need his alarm clock to wake up. He wasn’t sure that he could even stomach breakfast today after what he just dreamt although skipping breakfast wasn’t usually what he would do on the match day.

* * *

 

His chest hurt from that elbow to his chest. He thought that his ribs are bruising for a second. But hell, his face hurt more because Kuroko just made him fell down face flat on the court. Even if his skin was still simmering with anger, he was glad that Kuroko stopped him or else something even worst could happen. They could be disqualified or even banned for further competition because of his hot-tempered. He couldn’t help but felt so frustrated that the Kisiraki Daiichi didn’t get caught for what they did.

“Dammit!” he couldn’t help but vent all of his frustration on the bench. Only if he could do this to the members of Kirisaki Daiichi for what they did to his team.

Of course, Riko scolded him for that but at least he got to let go an ounce of his anger now that the bench took it. Kagami winced inwardly when he saw the bruises on Kiyoshi who was pretty beaten up by those bastards. He sat beside Kuroko who was still silent ever since his big talk with Hanamiya. He noticed back then that Kuroko’s hands were clenching and shaking hard. He must have been holding on to that anger hard. But now, Kuroko was so still which was unbelievable. He even gave Kagami a little lecture that he shouldn’t break on thing.

“Anyway, I’m so amazed that you manage to stay so ca-” his shut up when he saw Kuroko’s face. All the nauseating feeling climbed up his throat as the memories of his dream came back in full force. The look Kuroko had right now was exactly the same as Nobutsuka’s murderous look. And just like Junben, Kagami was scared for a good moment right there. Kuroko wasn’t calm, he was seething.

Hanamiya just did what he thought was impossible. He just made Kuroko absolutely furious.

Kagami reached out and put his hand on Kuroko’s head which broke Kuroko out of his angry trance. Kuroko looked back at him with pain clearly displayed in his eyes. It must have hurt so much to see his on teammates being hurt and he couldn’t do a thing about it.

“Hey, I know what you are feeling right now alright? We’ll get them. I know that you can.” that was the only thing he could offered right now. He ruffled that head gently with a feeling that Kuroko would just batted his hand away in a second. To his surprise, Kuroko welcomed his comfort and the anger on his face started to melt away.

“Thank you, Kagami-kun. How is your chest?”

“There’s a bruise but I don’t know about the ribs. It should be fine until the end of the match. My face hurts more thanks to you.”

“Kagami-kun is being an idiot so I need to do it for the team,” when Kuroko talked back like that, Kagami knew that everything was going to be alright.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami is setting off to America

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: You know what, screw the two days thing haha. I am not that good of writer. I am so sorry for a long absent. I was having a long break from fic so that I could keep up with writing my own novel. Don’t worry though. I am not abandoning this one for sure. My muse for Kuroko no Basket hasn’t run out yet. This is the chapter where a huge part of the skit is involved (as in the actual skit) and I am so nervous about this. It won’t be exactly the same as I will add a lot of things in it.
> 
> Also, in the manga, it revealed how Kagami trained for his animal instinct. Alex put him up with a bunch or big dudes who play gambling basketball. She gave him 10 dollars as an entry fee and that was it haha. Then Kagami need to bet with NO MONEY so if he didn’t win, he would be screwed because he got nothing to pay. So Kagami literally play for his life over there. After a week, she made him stop and train him personally.

 

Their first match of Winter Cup would be against Touou. He would face Aomine again the first match against Aomine. He couldn’t wait. It felt as if everything that he prepared over the summer holiday was about to be put to test. He would be ready this time.

He was glad to see Kuroko had the same determination to win against Aomine. He knew that Kuroko was as pumped as him. They had less than a month before the all-out revenge match with Touou. Kagami couldn’t wait to face Aomine but at the same time, he knew that with his current skill, it wasn’t enough for him to beat Touou or Aomine yet. If there was anything that the Inter High taught him it was he was still weak compare to those Miracles. It was frustrated to admit it but he would need something more than just a normal practice.

He bent down to give himself a final stretch to his legs. The hot spring was a really good choice for the team. All of the stiffness from the match with Kirisaki Daiichi and Shutoku melted away. He rubbed on the bruise on his chest received from the rough play. Thankfully, nothing was broken and he was ready for training.

“Kagami-kun, the dinner will be ready soon,” this time, they didn’t have to hold their breath with Coach’s cooking which everyone was thankful for. It was a good relaxing trip even with Touou barging in all of sudden. Kagami was sure that if they sleep in the same inn as them, something other than a few words exchange might happen.

The night was a quite one. He and Kuroko exchanged words before they went to sleep. They both were determine on beating Aomine but were they really ready for that?

“It’s been many months since Inter High Kagami-kun. No doubts that they would improve too,” Kuroko already told him the scores that Touou got from their previous games. Even with all the progress he had, it might not be enough.

“I know. But it’s not like we are going to back out now are we?”

Kuroko gave him a small smile. It was a very distinctive small that Kuroko always gave to him whenever he spoke something that both of them agreed.  “Yes. Not giving up until the last buzzer.”

They might play a completely different style of basketball and may not seemed to agree on many things (especially on dogs) but both of them get along so well since Inter High. It was as if Kagami and Kuroko was the solid proof that opposite attracts, different in every way but still able to get along together. Kagami wanted to win this tournament, not only for himself but also for Kuroko. They had made a promise to beat those Miracles with their basketball together and that was what he was going to do.

He didn’t know if it was the fact that Aomine appeared or not but the dream came back that night. It was the first time Nobutsuka and Junben talked since their separation and somehow, Kagami couldn’t be happier for both of them.

_“Please stop hiding and show yourself, Junben-kun,” he never thought that this day would come. The head of Matsudira died suddenly from an illness and the new head arise. Junben never thought that it would be his childhood friend, his only friend throughout the lonely days of his childhood._

_Matsudira Nobutsuka rose as the new head of the clan. Under his leadership, the Matsudira clan prospered. Junben knew that Nobutsuka made a lot of changes to the Matsudira clan. The conflict and casualties between both of their clan lessen dramatically. Whenever the members of two clans met, the Matsudira would retreat immediately. At first, he thought that they were afraid of losing. It wasn’t later that he found out that Nobutsuka forbid any kind of provocation or starting a fight with the Muruto clan. There were times where fights were inevitable. Lives were lost and people were permanently scarred. And every time, they would receive a sum of money for the compensation for the lives lost. Junben didn’t know what kind of plan Nobutsuka was running but the two clans was never more at peace, or at least as peaceful as two rivals could be._

_It was these kinds of changes that irked his Master. The head of Muruto grew more and more uneasy over this new head of the Matsudira. He wasn’t a blood decedent of the predecessor. He was just an orphan that they adopted. The former head must have trusted him so much that he leave the fate of the clan in his hands.  One day, Junben received an order from his Master to assassinate the head of Matsudira clan._

_“They were trying to play a game. Making their selves look so defenseless and trying to nice. It was all a part of their plan to make us dropped their guards Junben. You must assassinate this Nobutsuka. I trust you with this quest,”  Junben bowed his head and took the mission with a deep hollowness in his heart. He was ordered by his own clan, the person who took care of him and gave him a future, to kill his childhood friend. His loyalty was halved into two. One for the person he shared all his happiness and sadness with since he lost everything in his life. Another for the adopted family that brought him up from the lowly life as an orphan. How could he choose between two?_

_Junben went on the mission anyway. Perhaps he could do something. Perhaps faking an assassination or just reported back that Nobutsuka wasn’t there. Just as soon as he was able to get into the compound, Nobutsuka was able to spot him._

_“So you noticed me. As expected from the Head of Matsudira clan. You’re as good as the rumor, Nobutsuka,” he slipped from shadows and face Nobutsuka, really looked at him close now. He always saw his friend from the shadow but now that he was able to see him face to face, Junben finally noticed the huge change in his friend’s growth. Nobutsuka lose all his round baby fat and his face was now more define. His hair grew longer from the last time that he saw him and still kept it neatly tucked under that same hair clip that he gave Nobutsuka all those years ago. He could see some scratches on it. There were signs of repair on it. Nobutsuka must have worn it through thick and thin battles. Nobutsuka was also a lot taller than he remembered although he wasn’t as tall as Junben. The new head costume suits him in a way that Junben couldn’t describe. Leadership suits him better than being an assassin._

_“If I can’t handle a situation like this, I am not worthy the title as the head of the clan. This is not the first time that someone was trying to assassinate me after all,” Junben’s heart tighten. He was about to become one of those scums that tried to kill Nobutsuka. Was he really prepared to do that?_

_“You are really calm, Nobutsuka,” Even when you are about to be killed by me, “It’s been 10 years since that day. I thought you would be more surprised by seeing me like this. You’ve changed so much.”_

_Nobutsuka’s eyes were still holding the same expression. It was unreadable. They both had changed a lot since their childhood. Both became a tool for their respective clan, “Actually Junben-kun, meeting you like this after 10 years made me realised how much you had changed. It made me sad to see you like this.”_

_He couldn’t react to those words. What did Nobutsuka mean? He wasn’t the same for sure but after seeing Nobutsuka like that, he was certain that the one who should be saying that was him and not Nobutsuka._

_“Hey hey, don’t blame me on this,” because I don’t want to kill you, “I was ordered by my Master. If you want to blame on something, blame on this unfair world,” It as this unfair world that parted him from his family and Nobutsuka after all._

_“I don’t want to hate anymore Junben-kun. I am just…very sad right now,” Junben could see it in his eyes. The sadness and pity Nobutsuka had for him because he was bound by this duty for the clan. He could never understand his friend. He was about to be killed and yet he was worried about him. Nobutsuka only made it harder for him to do this._

_“Do you have anything else to say? At least, we were friends once. I want to give you a little more time,” he wished that Nobutsuka would beg for his life. He wish there was something that he could say to make everything better. But instead…_

_“I have nothing else to say.”_

_He swallowed down his anxiety but it seemed to clog up on his throat. He could do this…_

_“I was wrong. You’re still the same Nobutsuka. Still as same Nobutsuka that I remember. I am sorry,” he unsheathed his blade and point to towards that pale neck. Nobutsuka closed his eyes, waiting for the swing. But Junben couldn’t raise his arm. In fact, he couldn’t move at all. Nobutsuka seemed to accept his fate and die at the hands of the person who was once his friends. Everything just felt so wrong._

_“You’re not even going to resist a little?” please do something, he begged._

__

_“Are you hoping for me to resist?” he flinched at the question. Of course he did._

_“I was just trying to see things from your perspective,” Nobutsuka opened his eyes. He could see right through him, all the doubts and uncertainty that was wrecking his body. And then he gave him that smile. The small smile that he gave to Junben when they were little, “You are sweating Junben-kun.”_

_“No,” he breathed, the sword was lowered from the neck and he just couldn’t look into that bright blue eyes, “I…I couldn’t kill you of course. How could I? I knew from the start that I couldn’t do it. No matter how hard I tried, how could I kill the person that shared the same pain with me when I had nothing?”_

_“Then I took back what I just said Junben-kun. I would like to say something for my last words,” Junben didn’t want to heard Nobutsuka’s last words. Didn’t he just said that he couldn’t kill him, “What are you fighting for?”_

_“W-why?” he wasn’t sure himself. The fight because he was a part of the Muruto clan. They took him in, raised him, gave him warm food and a roof for him to sleep, “I just want to repay back my Master’s kindness. Master raised me, an orphan from nowhere. I am grateful to him. If I can’t complete this mission, how can I face him?”_

_Nobutsuka’s face soften a little when he heard that. He, too, was also adopted by the Matsudira clan. He knew this feeling of loyalty Junben had towards the Muruto, “I understand, Junben-kun. Just like you, I received the kindness from the head of Matsudira too. But that is not what I am asking you Junben-kun. Don’t you remember? That promise we made.”_

__

_Junben’s mind went back 10 years into the past. He thought that he forgot it. On that day when he was defending Nobutsuka from another bully, he remembered that Nobutsuka once asked him why people are fighting each other. He remembered that he made a promise to Nobutsuka_ _that he would never be like those greedy people that kill for money or fame. He promised to build peace together with Nobutsuka. A world with orphans like them. Junben remembered that Nobutsuka told him that even if they end up on a different path, they would always end up together. That they would fight by each other’s side._

_“I managed to live till this day because of that promise. Your words gave me the strength through many hard training and gruesome battles. When my spy knew that you are coming, I never felt so happy to see you again,” Nobutsuka reached out for his hands. The sword in his hand was forgotten when their hands touched. The loud clank of the metal also took away the weight in his chest._

_“Nobutsuka..I-”_

_“It’s okay, Junben-kun. It’s okay if you don’t remember our promise. We are going to make a new one right here. Fight beside me, Junben-kun,” Junben could only remembered how long was it since the last time he talked, touch and look straight into those blue eyes. He never truly realised how much he missed his friend until now._

_“I could never forget our promise. And at the same time, I couldn’t refuse you either. But…Nobutsuka, I am sorry. I couldn’t cross my sword with my Master either. I owe them my life.”_

_“Then don’t. I don’t want any more bloodshed between our two clans.  We end this conflict now. No more mourning for our friends and family,” he never thought that this day would come. The day that there would be no more fight between the Matsudira and the Muruto._

_“You…forgive me?”_

_“Forgive? Junben-kun, there is nothing to forgive. I am just fulfilling my part of the promise.”_

_“Then let me fulfil mine. I promise you, Nobutsuka. I will fight for you. I will fight by your side.”_

__

Kagami woke up with a smile. He wasn’t sure if it was him smiling because he was happy for Junben or a part of Junben’s happiness was transferred to him. It was still about a few hours before their meeting time. He slept really well despite waking up early. Kagami turned around to see a mop of baby blue hair still snoozing out. It was a wonder how Kuroko managed to get crazy bed hair when he was sleeping so still.

“I am just fulfilling my part of the promise…huh,” he thought back to Nobutsuka’s words. He still had a promise that need to be fulfilled to. What he must do now was preparing himself for what was about to come. Unlike Junben, he wasn’t going to wait for 10 years to fulfil it. He was going to do it now.

Kagami put his hand on that messy mop of blue hair and ruffled it gently. He knew that Kuroko would keep his part of the promise too. Kuroko always do. He could hear a soft moan coming from the sleeping boy, which made him smiled a little. Unlike everyone’s thought, Kuroko wasn’t the most morning person.

 

“I’ll be back.”

* * *

He wasn’t sure of Alex’s method but he was sure that if he didn’t win this match he would never get to play in Winter Cup or seeing Kuroko again. Kagami played basketball as if his life was actually hanging on it…actually it was because he didn’t have the money to pay these thugs if he lost. Alex’s training was as crazy as he remembered. All the rough play with Kirisaki Daiichi was like a preparation for all of the matches he was about to go through.

It wasn’t until the fourth day that he started to notice something about himself. Sometimes, his legs would just move on their own. He didn’t need to think about the opponent’s next move. He just  _knew_ where his opponent would move. Basketball became his raw instinct that engrave into his soul. It wasn’t until the last day that Alex finally told him what he just gain. “Animal Instinct.”

Good, something wild to beat something with the same ferocity.

Kagami could feel his phone vibrated from his pocket as he sipped on the sport drink. He was sure that if Riko and Alex meet, they would have a nice chat about gut wrenching training menus. Kagami opened his phone to see a new message from Japan.

_Kuroko: How’s the training going Kagami-kun?_

Kagami shook his head. Kuroko would often send him text daily to ask him about his training. He could still remembered the first one where Kuroko send him a long mail about how he was so horrible, leaving without telling him.  Well, he did tell Kuroko but he was sleeping.

_Kagami: I think I am getting somewhere. Got a new technique recently. How about yours?_

He was about to close his phone when another message popped up right after that.

_Kuroko: We did Fartlek every day. My legs are sore._

Wait a minute, Kuroko was awake? Wasn’t it night time over there in Japan? He wanted to yell at Kuroko for being an idiot and sleeping late. He still had training with Riko dammit!

_Kagami: GO BACK TO SLEEP YOU IDIOT YOU HAVE TRAINING!_

_Kuroko: I can’t sleep. Kagami-kun is being mean._

“Who are you talking with Taiga?” Alex called after him. She was trying to eye the message on his screen which only caused Kagami to angle it away from her sight. Alex only smiled slyly at him and tried to get around.

“Just my idiot teammate that couldn’t sleep. At this rate he won’t survive the training tomorrow.”

“Then call him!”

“What?”

“Call him then. He’s that invisible guy you told me right?” how did Alex knew that it was Kuroko that was calling him was still a mystery. He only told Alex about Kuroko so that Alex could understand the style he was playing on the court. He might had went on telling about Kuroko’s weirdness with lack of presence and that they were quiet close… actually screw that, the told everything about Kuroko to Alex already.

“International calls are expensive!”

“It would put those money you earned from the gamble to use,” Alex hummed and skipped away. He just couldn’t argue with his teacher at all.

“Ugh, I better not regret this,” he press dial and call Kuroko. That idiot was going to be the death of him. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami discovered a thing or two about his feelings and then something amazing happened

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ugh, the new season for KNB is coming next year and we don’t even know when. I thought they first said that it’s this fall so I am a bit confused. It better not be the fall of next year, I am afraid of losing my muse with this series. I am so afraid that Fujimaki-sensei would end the series after Winter Cup final.
> 
> This is the chapter I’ve been looking forward to and at the same time, I am so afraid of writing it. Kagami discovered a thing or two about his feelings and of course, the moment everyone waited for (YOU ALL KNOW WHAT). Damn, this chapter is long! (I am not kidding). Also, this chapter shows why I can't write romance.

“You really like that guy didn’t you,” Kagami pretended to not know what Alex was talking about but it was obvious, she was talking about Kuroko. She was asking him about Kuroko a lot lately too, ever since he and Kuroko talked daily. Alex seemed to take a lot of interest in Kuroko, not that there were any invisible players in US.

“He’s my friend of course I like him.”

“No, not that idiot. I mean like him as more than that,” Kagami could feel the heat rising up his face and climbed to his ears. If he had a mirror, he was sure that the colour would match his crimson hair perfectly.

“O-Of course not! I-I don’t like him more than a f-friend,” his tongue froze and he just couldn’t speak properly. Words came out with incoherent voices that messed up his sentences completely. The heat in his face radiated like a furnace in its working time. Why did this happened everything someone ask him about Kuroko?

“That’s what every idiots said when everyone around them can just see how much they love each other.”

“You don’t know that!”

“I know you, Tiger!” she threw a basketball at his head so hard it made him yelped. His face was still red and perhaps growing even redder the more that he talked, “You even talked with him even when nothing happens!”

Kagami was clutching his hair in embarrassment and let out a growling of frustration. He just wanted to know how things were going on there. He knew that Kuroko just developed a new Ignite Pass that was stronger than before. He also told Kuroko that he was getting better with his animal instinct. And they chatted for…a very long time really. But that was normal right?

“W-Whatever! My plane is leaving. I need to leave now!” he just grabbed his bag and ran towards the terminal’s door. There wasn’t really enough time for him to argue but Kagami also knew that he didn’t know how to come up with a better arguments either.

“Just go for it and confess dammit! You teenagers are so dense sometimes!” he could hear Alex’s shouting from a far distance as he tried to get away from her attention. This only caused more people to look at his direction. If his face could turn more red, it would be that shade.

“SHUT UP!”

 

He hoped that the security didn’t kick him out after this.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Alex’s words which resulted in thinking about Kuroko. He remembered that their relationship started out on a shaky road with Kuroko sudden appearance on the street court that night. He remembered saying that Kuroko should just quit (why did he said that again? He never felt so guilty when he remembered it). He remembered being blown away when he discovered what Kuroko could do and just how amazing he could be. That was the start of his interest in the invisible boy that became the shadow in his game.

He admitted that he was closer to Kuroko than any other members in the team and probably the whole school. Kagami wasn’t the type to have many friends. He did have a few foreigner friends back on his time in US but they were just teammates whom they enjoy the street basketball together. Kuroko was different. He never felt so connected to anyone, never felt so comfortable to speak about his past about Himuro until he met this shady little guy (well at least he was little to him). And he also remembered Kuroko telling him his darkest secret, about hating basketball once, about Aomine. He didn’t know when interest started to convert into something more.

Kagami was sure that his heart leaped a little when Kuroko finally told him the truth about his goal. The trust that he gain from Kuroko was something that fuel him to play even harder now that he know that he wasn’t just another replacement for Aomine. When Kuroko realised just how much faith Kagami had for him, Kagami knew that they could do magic together now that their feelings are mutual.

He did catch a Kuroko glancing at him a few times…okay it was actually a lot. Kagami thought that it was because Kuroko was trying to get Kagami noticing him or something. Everyone always told him how ridiculous his synchronization with Kuroko was. They just needed to look at each other and they both know what the other was thinking. But that was because they were so close to each other right?

* * *

 

In the end, he didn’t get any wink of sleep along his ride back to Japan. It was a long 10 hours of thinking about himself and Kuroko. Just what did he bring to himself?!

His eyes were bright red from the lack of sleep. The landlord actually screamed when she saw him, thought that he was some ghost came back to haunt the room. He was beyond exhausted from thinking too much (oh how his team would laugh at his state right now). He ghosted into his room, leaving his bag on the floor and dumped himself onto his bed. The match was tomorrow in the afternoon so he was sure that he could recover in time. Just as his vision started to blur into the darkness, he could hear a sound of metal clashing in the distance. The world just wanted him to burn.

_Junben was watching the new recruits of both clans practicing their moves with piercing gaze. They were selecting potential young teenagers for apprenticeship. These people would be the next bodyguard for the head of clan in the future in case he wasn’t available. Or in the other words, when he died._

_It was almost a year since the Matsudira and Muruto clans joined forces and stopped their long history of conflict. People rejoiced that there would be no more fights, no more deaths or collateral damage. While there were many that celebrated this reconciliation between the two clans, there were also people that screamed bloody murder over the agreement. Most of them were old generals and people who lost someone over the long conflict. Junben could understand why, they were bitter about their lost. But he needed this long bloodshed to end. Nobutsuka wanted this as much as he did. It took them a few months and several assassination attempts almost set things back to square one, but they made it. The following period was nothing but peace._

_It was a bit boring for Junben though, nothing but training youngsters that reminded him of himself and Nobutsuka in their younger years. Nobutsuka proposed that they should rebuild the orphanage again. This time, they would make it bigger and better than the one they grew up with. They even invite their old man (who said that they should call him by his real name now) to help taking care of the orphans just like how he used to. Slowly and steadily, Nobutsuka and Junben were achieving what they once dreamt as children._

_“You weren’t paying attention again Junben-kun,” Junben yelped out of surprise when he heard a voice from behind his back. He didn’t even need to turn around to see who was speaking. He knew that voice by default yet it never failed to make his heart jumped out of his chest._

_“Nobutsuka!” he shouted and was about to scold him about coming out of nowhere but stopped abruptly in motion when he saw two of Nobutsuka’s men coming from behind, “……-sama”_

_Nobutsuka’s eyes widen for a moment before looked behind his back. He gave Junben a small smile with a worried face, “I already told you to never call me that, even in front of others.”_

_“I couldn’t. We may be friends but you are still the head of the clan and I am not. You have the authority.”_

_“Which is something that I would never use against you. You know that”_

_“It would make you look bad. Having someone with a lower rank calling you like that in front of the others,” Nobutsuka_ _frowned at that and eyed his two clan members. A sigh escaped from his breath as he waved his men away._

_“Junben-kun, please follow me,” he moved away from the crowded practice ground. All along the walk, Junben was silent as ever. Nobutsuka also said nothing. Junben eyed the black hair clip that seemed so close to falling apart from the long use. He reminded himself to get a new one for him._

_They arrived at Nobutsuka’s private garden, a place that Nobutsuka enjoyed his solitude in private. He was always the one to ponder about things in silent. Being the head of the clan has its own perks which gave him the privilege to have a nice private area for himself. It wasn’t really a private garden though, at least in Junben’s opinion. Nobutsuka gave the special pass to Junben after all. He could use this private garden anytime. Sometimes, Junben wondered what the others thought of him. Nobutsuka clearly favoured him to any of his men even if he was originally from the Muruto clan. He asked for his master for permission to make Junben one of his personal bodyguards. Not that Nobutsuka really need a bodyguard in the first place since he was a good swordsman himself. His master, of course, was reluctant at first but Nobutsuka was the master of diplomacy and manage to convince him. They exchanged their best men as a sign of collaboration between two clans. Junben was more than happy that he got to stay close to Nobutsuka but at the same time he was worried. Nobutsuka openly showed these affections towards him that he felt that the others might look down on Nobutsuka._

_“I know what you are thinking, Junben-kun,” now that they were alone, just the two of them, Nobutsuka dropped all of his formal composure. Junben never felt so relief when they could spend time together alone. All these clan business could be suffocating sometimes._

_“You know that the duty came first. The others-”_

_“They all know that we are friends.”_

_“But that could change. Nobutsuka, I am worry. I am so afraid for you,” he grasped Nobutsuka’s shoulder. What would he do if he lost Nobutsuka someday? He couldn’t bear the thought of see Nobutsuka dead. He couldn’t bear the thought of seeing Nobutsuka hurt or even seeing his tears._

_“And I you,” Nobutsuka’s hand went on his, “Junben, I don’t want you bowing at me. I never want to be above you. I just…It’s funny. I used to be the one that always follow you around. And now this.”_

_The situation has changed since then. He wasn’t a follower anymore. Nobutsuka was the head of the clan while Junben wasn’t._

_“I know. You need to get used to this. Even if I need to crawl to you or call your name with all the stupid honorific, you know that my feelings towards you would stay the same,” what feelings? Junben asked himself. Before he knew it, ever since he got the chance to see Nobutsuka again every day, he wanted to protect this man. He wanted to live his life beside this man and fighting all the wars for him. Was this the feeling manifested itself ever since their childhood? That he needed to protect Nobutsuka? Nobutsuka wasn’t the same weak child he remembered anymore. He was a samurai, a warrior and the Head of Matsudira clan. So why did he felt this need to protect him?_

_“Junben-kun?”_

_“You’re always like this. Thinking about the past, making things harder for both of us.”_

_“It was the past that made me the person I am today. The past and the future are not the same, but they’re not completely separate either. I wanted to cherish everything and also learned from my past,” only Nobutsuka are capable of saying something poetic like that. Junben shook his head in resignation. This man should start writing poem scripts instead of running a clan._

_“You always say something embarrassing, Nobutsuka.”_

_“You are also poetic sometimes too, Junben-kun,” he made Junben blushed. There were times that he also said something out of the top of his head all of sudden too. Usually it would cause everyone to look so surprised by the wisdom coming from his hot-headed attitude but it would always made Nobutsuka smile. Thinking about it, he never knew why he love Nobutsukas little smile._

_“Stop it. I ran out of words.”_

_“Then don’t talk Junben-kun. Your actions always spoke louder anyway.”_

_He didn’t know when was it that he wanted this person all for himself or wanted Nobutsuka to feel the same way. When did he started liking…no- loving this man? He couldn’t remember. He just woke up and realised one day that he would do everything for this person who became the centre of his life ever since he was little. He became Junben’s anchor. The actualisation of his feeling came to him when he was being asked to see a woman per Yoshitsune’s request. He declined it immediately, not because he didn’t want to get married or wanted to fall in love. It was because he realised that he wanted someone to be in that position instead of the woman he never knew. He wanted it to be Nobutsuka._

_Junben didn’t know when was it that he started to love Nobutsuka, perhaps it has been forever since he saw those bright blue eyes. But, he knew this for sure that he loved him now and he was more than sure that he would do everything in his power to keep it that way._

_As per Nobutsuka’s request, Junben didn’t spoke anything.  He leaned down in one sweep motion and planted a soft kiss on Nobutsuka's lips, something that he longed to do ever since he came to realise that he wanted this man. He could feel Nobutsuka’s breath hitched in surprises; feel that little air that escaped his mouth as their lips met. The hands on Nobutsukas shoulders tighten and was about to move to Nobutsuka's face until he realised what he just done. Actions spoke louder than words indeed._

_He backed away all of sudden in panic. What actually came over him to do that? He was going to be killed or worst, Nobutsuka was going to freak out and hate him for what he did!_

_“N-Nobutsuka, I….I-I am so sorry!” he could feel the blood rushing to his face like Tsunami waves sweeping across the land, “I’ll leave you now!”_

_He quickly turned away to run away from this place. From the shame of defiling this person he should not even touch. But he couldn’t. Not when a cold hand of that same person holding on to his own and pulled him into a tight embrace with no intention of letting him go._

_“Nobutsuka?” he couldn’t see Nobutsuka, not with his back turned into him. He could only see the pale hands that clutched on his clothes. He could feel Nobutsuka’s face pressing against his back as if he tried to bury himself into his body._

_“I am so happy Junben-kun,” Nobutsuka's voice was trembling as if he was trying to hold back his tears, “I am so happy that Junben-kun feel this way…because you are not alone. No wonder you denied all those match meeting that Yoshitusne-dono arranged.”_

_Junben remembered the feeling of the first dawn in winter that felt so tranquil and overwhelming with beauty of the change in season. It was what he was feeling right now, tranquil and overwhelming emotions that he wasn’t the only person that felt this way. His hands clasped on Nobutsuka’s pale ones._

_“Since when?” he asked. Was he really clueless to Nobutsuka’s feeling all this time? How long did Nobutsuka cope with this feeling that his love was one-sided? He knew that feeling. It was a very bittersweet feeling to have someone at your reach but unable to hold them close to you._

_“When you said that you would protect me…when you kicked all those bullies and said that you would be my protector,” that was a long time ago. Perhaps Nobutsuka dismissed it as a crush at first and realised it later when they were apart. Junben didn’t know when was it that Nobutsuka looked at him differently but if it was that long, it must have been so hard for him to hide the feelings all this time._

_“What about you Junben-kun?”_

_“I don’t know,” he wanted to honest. He really didn’t know when, “I just realised one day that I do and…I don’t know when it started because I probably felt this way for a long time.”_

_“Then it’s okay. At least, I know now,” Junben turned around and place his hands on Nobutsuka’s face. He never imagine that he would get this opportunity, to express the affection towards Nobutsuka openly or at least, just to Nobutsuka alone. He smiled lovingly at Nobutsuka and caressing his thumb on Nobutsuka's cheek._

_“Yes…and me too.”_

_It was when he realised there was something wrong. Nobutsuka had stark white hair but…why was his hair blue? And it was way shorter than it should be. He even looked a lot younger. This wasn’t Nobutsuka! This was…_

_“Kagami-kun.”_

 

Kagami woke up with a quick jolt that made him fell off hi bed and landed face flat on the floor. He started to sweat profusely when he recalled the last image he just saw before he woke up. There was a tight uncomfortableness down…oh shit he needed a cold shower stat. And he was also late. The world must really hate him so much.

Kagami knew that he was late for the ceremony. He forgot to reset his alarm clock to Japan’s time. Perhaps if he set it right, he would dream that  _far_  and maybe he wouldn’t see a certain person in his dream. He just dreamt about Kuroko, even for a split second there he was, standing with arms around him. It felt good too.

So, Junben actually loved Nobutsuka. The feelings they shared for each other was more than just a simple friendship. Nobutsuka had this long time crush and admiration for him since they were little while Junben realised that his overprotectiveness was actually the desire to be with his childhood friend…or more of a childhood sweetheart.

But what did that have anything to do with Kuroko? Was his feeling for Kuroko the same way that Junben felt towards Nobutsuka? The feeling of loving someone for a long time but never realised it until something happen?

He didn’t want to believe it since he still couldn’t figure out what his relationship with Kuroko was exactly himself. He had great respect for Kuroko’s skills and determination. He actually liked to be around him (even if he couldn’t actually felt him sometimes). There was something about Kuroko that seemed to draw him close to the boy.

Was it the same feeling that Junben felt?

* * *

 

“Kagami-kun!” that freaking red head devil actually tried to stab him with a pair of scissors. He could get disqualified from this and he didn’t seem to care at all. He didn’t even hesitate for a second. Kagami met all the Generation of Miracles, but this person, Akashi Seijuro, wasn’t just another weirdo that could play berketball really well. If anything, Kagami thought that this boy was psychopathic.

He was speechless. Hell, he couldn’t move as he felt the sting on his cheek and blood seeping from it. It was so close. For a second he thought that it was going to go through his eyes. This person should be in jail or some kind of imprisonment not roaming around the city let alone playing basketball!

As soon as everyone left, Kagami could actually breathe again. Kuroko looked at him with a very worried face. It looked really familiar to him too. He started to dap his handkerchief on his cheek where his skin split. Furihata was still shaken from the event too.

“I’m sorry Kagami-kun,” wait, why was Kuroko apologizing? Because Akashi was his former teammates?

“Hey, you did nothing. Don’t need to apologise.”

“That’s exactly why, I did nothing,” it really didn’t bother Kagami that Kuroko did nothing. Hell, he was glad that Kuroko wasn’t close to him when that happened. He was afraid that Akashi’s mad mind would also lead him to harm Kuroko too.

“There’s nothing that you could do to stop someone like that from harming other people, Kuroko.  Stop feeling guilty from something that you have no control over,” there was this weird look on Kuroko face that Kagami couldn’t understand. His words of comfort (or his attempt at least) made Kuroko looked like he had been stabbed in the gut.

“H-Hey, I’m fine alright. This would not affect me during the match. I am still fine. More importantly, we still have a much bigger thing to be concern about.”

 

Kuroko didn’t look a bit relax after he said that. Somehow, Kagami couldn’t tell if it was his small injury that made him sad or if it was something that he said earlier…or maybe it was both.

* * *

Kuroko was crying. It didn’t just made Kagami felt that something was wrong with the world. No, it also made Kagami became angry at the world or to be more exact, at Aomine and the so called ‘Miracles’. For someone so composed and polite like Kuroko to openly sob like that, it must have brought him on the edge. Kagami could remember all the text and night calls about how hard Kuroko had trained. He remembered all the time he and Kuroko practiced together, all the hard work his boy went through so that he could improve and prove to Aomine that he wasn’t useless. Aomine didn’t just stop him, he humiliated Kuroko in front of everyone. Calling his effort useless, denied Kuroko existence as a shadow.

How dare he. Of all the people, Aomine should be the one to understand Kuroko. He was the person Kuroko looked up to during their middle school. He was the person who once told Kuroko to not give up. How dare he did this when he was the one who witnessed Kuroko’s hopelessness and struggle as he tried to find himself since the beginning.

‘It’s fine’ Kagami told himself. If Aomine forgot that, he would be the one who remembered it. He would be the one to reminded Kuroko that he wasn’t a tool to be judge if he was useful or worthless. He was Kuroko Tetsuya, his shadow. And he would be damn if someone denied him that.

‘I’ll show him,’ Kagami thought, ‘I’ll save Kuroko.’

 

Because he wanted to protect this person. Junben was right.  He couldn’t remember when this feeling started but once you knew it, you would do everything to keep it that way.

He didn’t want to see Kuroko’s tears ever again. He couldn’t stand those blue eyes filled with nothing but sadness. It should be lit up with life and joy because it felt just right to see him happy. It made him felt happy as well.

* * *

Kuroko couldn’t make it to the locker by himself. The idiot never really cared for himself anyway. He even forgot his jersey when he went out to ‘get a fresh air’ earlier. But then again, if it wasn’t for him, they would surely lose. Kuroko proved to him from time to time that he was one of the strongest people that Kagami ever knew. Kuroko wasn’t fragile even if he wasn’t built like tank like Kagami. Yet, at the same time, Kagami knew that it would also take so little to break him. It took words that would hit Kuroko in the right spot in his heart to make his face crumble and for those bad memories from his past to relapse. Kagami saw that. At least for now, he would support Kuroko, carry him and take care of him as best as he could. Being the shoulder for him to lean against so that at least for a while, he could sleep. 

He put his bag under Kuroko’s head for a quick pillow. He was so tired himself. Zone practically drained everything from his stamina. Now that he knew his new potential, he was more than eager to face the other miracles. Just so you wait.

 

“Good work, Kuroko,” he whispered as he tilted his head to the sleeping phantom player beside him. Kagami didn’t know when he felt asleep. He was lulled into darkness by the snoring of other senpais and Kuroko. What a great match they had.

\- - - - - - - -

“Thank you for today,” he wasn’t sure it was a thank you for beating Aomine or somethine else. Kagami could get used to people thanking him, or at least being thanked with this much sincerity. It made him wanted to hide somehow. Kuroko never failed to make him felt so embarrassed. Why was he embarrassed about it anyway?

“I’m really glad that I met you,” that was the moment where everything seemed to flip 180 degrees. He felt the heat climbed up on his face. Why did Kuroko have to say that?! And now, the expression that was on his face only reminded him of  _that dream_. Damn you Kuroko.

They talked a little, about getting stronger now that they showed everything up their sleeves. He wasn’t sure what he could do to get even stronger but he knew that he would. Challenges were like oxygen to him. He lived to face the impossible to make it possible. Furthermore, Kuroko wouldn’t stop it now that they came this far. Kuroko finally gain the confidence back now that he stepped over one of his weakness from the past.

“Say, Kagami-kun…I also have something…to tell you,” Kuroko said it all of sudden. Kagami’s face was still flushed after all those talk even. He should be glad that it was night time because it was probably much redder than he expected.

“I actually…planned to say it for a long time but I wasn’t really sure when it’s…appropriate,” it wasn’t like Kuroko to stumble or pause when he tried to say something. This must have been bothering him for a long time just like he said. Kagami was dreaded that it was going to be like one of those things Kuroko used to confess to him, that he was using Kagami.

“W-what was it?” Kagami turned around to see Kuroko falling. His heart dropped all of sudden like an anchor being dropped to the bottom of the abyss. Something was wrong. Was Kuroko hurt? Did he actually hide an injury from the match? He caught Kuroko and laid him on his own thigh. Kuroko was completely unconscious.

“Kuroko!” he called out. If something happened to Kuroko, Kagami wasn’t sure what he would do. He never felt so loss. It was different from the time that Kuroko received a blow to his head from Kise. This time, Kagami had no idea what was ailing Kuroko. Kagami never felt so afraid for Kuroko.

He needed to get help. The Coach! She knew basic first aid. They needed to send Kuroko to hospital for a check-up. Kagami was to turn his head to call out to his team only to witness the same horror. Everyone was unconscious, lying on the floor motionless. Did someone attack them? He laid Kuroko gently so that he could inspect what was going on. Wait…he knew what was happening here because he knew that this wasn’t the first time Seirin had this incident. Before he knew it, he also started to feel dizzy. Damn you, Coach…

 

The world must really hate him.

* * *

He woke up to see Kuroko shaking him with a worried face. Being the smallest meant that his body burned away those nasty after effects of their supper. He didn’t like the worry look Kuroko’s face so he forced himself to sit up despite not feeling quite well yet.

“Don’t force yourself Kagami-kun.”

“No, I’m better now…are you okay?”

“Yes, I am better now too. Not as fine but better,” they both looked around to see that all of their team members still lying asleep. Funny how one meal ended up with a total disaster. Next time the team planned to have a dinner in his apartment, he would be the one doing all the cooking.

Kagami looked back at Kuroko who seemed to be staring at him but the moment he looked back, Kuroko averted his eyes. Kagami could spot a slight redness on his cheek beneath the shadow on his face. What was going on with him?

“Hey, what you are about to say earlier-”

“It’s nothing Kagami-kun,” Kuroko cut his sentence so quickly that Kagami swore that it seemed so suspicious. When Kuroko gave out a small breathy sigh that was almost so hard to notice Kagami knew what he was up to.

“You lie again.”

“W-what”

“You always do that when you lied,” Kuroko didn’t know what he should do. He looked like he was lost for words, which was unusual for someone who always managed to find a way to explain himself. Kagami scratched the back of his head as he waited for Kuroko to say something. Instead, his shadow stayed silent, unable to move or even make a sound. 

“Look, if it’s actually important and you can’t really find the right word then…” actions speak louder than words, Nobutsuka’s voiced echoed in his ears, “Show me instead. You don’t really need to say-”

Kagami didn’t need to speak the next words. Not that he could when Kuroko grabbed his shirt and pulled him down. Their lips crashed. Kuroko always had this surprisingly huge strength despite his thin frame…well thin compared to him. It wasn’t a good kiss. More of ‘to hell with this I am doing it’ kiss. Kagami’s eyes widen in a total shock.

Kuroko pulled away as quick as he pulled Kagami in. His face was as red as Kagami’s hair and his once steady hands were shaking, “I-I’m sorry Kagami-kun. I…”

Again, Kuroko lost the capability to form a sentence. Kagami also didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t that good at comforting either. But at least, he knew what could calm Kuroko down since he was a wreck right now. He pulled Kuroko in for a tight hug.

They both said nothing. Both were engulfed in the warmth of embrace. Kagami finally noticed how small Kuroko was compared to him. His head seemed to fit under Kagami’s chin perfectly like a jigsaw puzzle piece. It was as if their body were built so that they could hold each other. They both went still but Kagami could feel a steady thumping against his chest. In that moment, he felt as if he had two hearts in chest, beating with the same rhythm. Kuroko’s breath warmed his collar bones as he finally worked out what Kagami just did to him and what it meant. Words weren’t needed between them. Kagami caressed Kuroko’s baby blue hair (he knew Kuroko hate it when someone was doing that to his head but he never really voice it when it was him).

“Kagami…kun?”

“Since when?” Kagami asked. He was curious himself. When did Kuroko started to like him? The question in his head was the same one that Junben asked himself too.

“When…you said that we will become the best in Japan. I just think that Kagami-kun is really cool and…I felt so grateful that you had so much trust in me when I’m not,” Kuroko drew in a shaky breath, “What about you Kagami-kun?”

“I…” he couldn’t find that answer either. When was it that he started to like this phantom player? He asked himself ever since he came back from US. If Alex didn’t brought that up, he would even notice it, “I don’t know. I just…realised all of sudden that I do.”

He pulled away to look at Kuroko. He could see the pure emotion that usually wasn’t visible on Kuroko’s face. He could see the disbelief and also happiness in it. It was same emotion that was once displayed on Goubunka’s face. Now that he thought of it, he could easily replace Nobutsuka’s face with Kuroko and he wouldn’t really notice the difference.

“You are a terrible kisser by the way.”

There was still a smile on Kuroko’s face. The happiest that he had seen him since he met Kuroko. Even happier than when they won Touou.

“Kagami-kun shouldn’t say that when he haven’t kiss me yet.”

Oh he would surprise Kuroko alright. Growing up with Alex taught him a lot of things about kissing. But before that, he needed to say something to Kuroko.

“I’m glad that I met you too, Kuroko.”

And he sealed it with a kiss. Thank you, Alex.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami deals with the changes in the relatioship...which wasn't as bad as he thought

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for the delay! I just came back from a religious trip in Myanmar and I took a break at writing. This continues directly after the last chapter because I need more Alex. I dump a lot of my headcanon in this chapter about Kagami’s parents and also something that Fujimaki-sensei said about Alex’s favourite anime is Naruto. Some of the unfamiliar events are from the KNB Replace Novels which I really recommended everyone to give it a try. It’s just so cute.

As much as they wanted to continue their new found aspect of their relationship, their seniors won’t wake up by themselves judging from the amount each person consumed (Kagami couldn’t thank Kuroko more for that conversation at the balcony). Kagami gave Kuroko one finally hand squeeze and let go with a lingering warmed traced on their lips and their hands.

One by one each of them got up to realise what happened to them. All eyes landed on their main suspect which sulked in the corner when she realised what she had done. It was a good thing that all of them were just out for an hour. Athletes or not, their body still need rest from all the strength they pulled today. Everyone just wanted to go home and sleep. That was until Koganei ran to the living room as if he saw something forbidden.

Kagami always kept his door and window locked. He was sure that no one would tried to get into his apartment which way up from the ground. So he had no idea, why Alex of all people could get into his room without his keys. Their first interaction since America was a kiss. A freaking kiss just when he just confessed to Kuroko. He could eye a surprised look from Kuroko at the corner of his eyes. Dammit Alex!

He threw the pants at her and told her to wear something while Kuroko still had the total confusion of Alex kissing custom. Kagami strode to Kuroko and quickly whispered to him that “It’s her way of greeting people in the States.”

Kuroko smiled knowingly which made Kagami almost sighed in relief that he understood and trust him. He was so worried that Kuroko might take the context too far like other couples he witnessed. Instead, Kuroko gave him a chuckle and a quick remark.

“I wondered if you are picking that habit too back in the States.”

“Of course not!”

Kagami blushed brightly at Kuroko’s words while the others were settling down and stared in awe at their new guest. While he told Kuroko about Alex’s way of greeting people he, was too late to warn his Coach about her kissing bug. Sometimes Kagami regretted all the time he ignored his Japanese customs lectures that he got from his Dad.

Just when Alex met Kuroko properly the first time, Kagami’s mind screamed “Don’t Alex!” out loud but he couldn’t say it. Not when the whole team was there in the room.

“Oh, you’re that guy Taiga mentioned a lot about!” Kagami prayed to whatever being that could hear his prayers for Alex to not say anything else. Even Alex was taken aback by the complete lack of presence of the phantom player.

“I see,” Alex replied knowingly. She glanced at him for a bit which Kagami only shook his head in response. Not now Alex! 

Alex decided to answer Kuroko’s question instead. She actually flew all the way here just to see him play. Alex was more than his teacher; she was also his second mother. Kagami could remember how she would be the one that got him away from his home so that he wouldn’t have to stay in that house with that noisy nanny. She was the reason that he could actually played street basketball with Himuro. Without her, Kagami would never get the permission to play outside.

He heart felt heavy when Himuro was mentioned. Before basketball, he was that kid at the back of the class that no one cared. He wasn’t good at sports let alone studies. He didn’t know what Himuro saw in him that he invited Kagami to play with him. He didn’t want to severe that bond that he cherished so much. It was Himuro that made him love basketball. It was his brother that made him finally became good at something for once in his life. He couldn’t say a thing but looked away.

They promised to take her to see the next game and everyone started to part their ways to their home. Kuroko was, of course, the last to leave. He looked a little worried at Kagami, probably because Himuro was mentioned.

“Please don’t think too much about it Kagami-kun. I’m sure there’s a way to solve all this.”

“Kuroko,” Kuroko grasped Kagami’s hand one last time before leaving. As much as he wanted Kuroko to stay, it was late and his parents would probably be worried.

“You helped me with Aomine-kun. I will also help you with Himuro-san as well. He’s important to Kagami-kun after all,” Kagami gave him a smile and looked around to make sure that no one else was looking before brough Kuroko’s hand to up to his lips and gave it a quick kiss. Kuroko’s hands weren’t soft like most people imagine. These were the hands of veteran player. All that hard passes he managed to catch had the strength of a battle harden warrior. He could feel the callousness of Kuroko’s palm in his hand and wondered what Kuroko wouldn’t do for his team, for the people he held close to his heart. Nothing as it seemed. He would be damn if he couldn’t do the same thing for Kuroko either.

Kuroko tried to keep straight face but he couldn’t hide the blush that crept upon his face.  He finally let go of Kuroko hands and bade him the delayed goodbye. It was nice to take everything slow (although he doubted for a moment that the kiss was a slow move). Kagami just needed to be comfortable with the idea of having Kuroko as a boyfriend.

“He’s a cute one I admit that,” Alex talked in English again once his team left. Right, he still had to deal with her.

“Don’t you even try to say that sentence!”

“I told you Taiga! It always started with the ‘friend’ and then-”

“One more word and I will kick you out of the apartment!”

* * *

Shower never felt so good for Kagami. They might not have school tomorrow but he still wanted to go to bed as quick as he could. He had a hunch that he would get that dream again tonight as he dumped his tired body onto the bed. He was right.

_“Here, I fix it for you,” the black clip might still have the light scratches on it but it was barely visible now.  Those nasty lines transformed into a beautiful pattern with white paint. He could see _Nobutsuka_  looking at his precious gift in awe._

_Despite his attempt to get Nobutsuka a new one, _Nobutsuka_  still insisted on using the same one that Junben gave to him ages ago. He said that it was his first gift that was why he really wanted to keep it. Junben took the banged up clip to the nearest jewellery shop and ask for them to repair it. Now with the extra white pattern, it matched _Nobutsuka_ ’s hair perfectly._

_“Here, turn around and give me the brush,” even if his face had faint blush on it, he still kept doing what he was doing. The feeling of _Nobutsuka_ ’s silky hair slipping through in his fingers made him wondered if his hair was alive. He didn’t even realise that he was holding his breath as he was brushing _Nobutsuka'_ s hair. Looking at _Nobutsuka_  right now made his heart fluttered a little lighter as he noticed how beautiful _Nobutsuka_  was._

_“You are really good at this Junben-kun,” _Nobutsuka_  observed his handiwork with the mirror. _Nobutsuka_  couldn’t get a few strands when he was combing his hair alone._

_“I should make you my personal page boy instead.”_

_“Ha, like I could always follow you around. You always disappeared all of the sudden,” Junben was really a hard escort for Junben. He felt like his day job was more of a challenge that he needed to complete. _Nobutsuka_  seemed to be enjoying it too._

_“I know Junben-kun would always find me,” the faint blush on his cheek turned bright red. He was jealous of _Nobutsuka_  and his words. How could he always say something so embarrassing with a straight face?_

_Junben took _Nobutsuka_ ’s hand to his lips and kissed it. _Nobutsuka_  always told him that he regret the lives that he had taken with these hands. But Junben knew better. _Nobutsuka_ ’s hand may have been dirtied with blood but he would love these hands. They were the same hands that support him and healed him back when he was little. These hands also brought the two rival clans closer and saved people. They were the hands of a protector._

_“I was lost without you,” Junben said with all the honesty that he could manage with his voice._

__Nobutsuka_  leaned in and gave him a peck on his still bright red cheek before traced his fingers on the scar at the on his nose. He got that from saving _Nobutsuka_  from some random bullies. It was something that he wore with pride. A sign that he was strong enough to protect someone although _Nobutsuka_  would always looked so guilty whenever he looked at it._

_“I am here now,” it didn’t felt real because Junben never expected that he would come to this point in his life. Here he was, holding one person he loved more than anything and now they were building the world together. With _Nobutsuka_ , he could never be lost again._

_The white strands slowly turned into bright blue although the eyes stayed the same. Junben blinked in surprise as the person in front of him changed yet Junben felt as if he stayed the same._

 

_“Kagami-kun”_

Kagami slowly woke up with a pleasant feeling in his chest. Although the thought of his dream which seemed to start merging with his reality seemed little creepy, he wasn’t really bothered by it. The dream was all in his head right? Maybe it was just a manifestation of his thought, especially with that just happened last night.

He felt fully rested. Today was their resting day where they got to watch the match of others in the late afternoon instead. He made sure to leave the apartment early since Alex wanted to make a stop by some Anime merchandise shops. Even though he came back to Japan for quite a long while, he still didn’t know good place for the merchandise (not that was that much of an anime enthusiast to begin with).

He knew that some of the senpais probably knew something about it but the first person he actually Kuroko. He knew that Kuroko read a lot of books (he always carried one around) although he wasn’t quite sure about mangas.

_To: Kuroko_

_Sorry but do you know any good place for mangas and animes? Alex loves them but I have no idea where to take her._

He wasn’t sure if Kuroko was an early bird or not although he wasn’t usually late (even if he was, nobody noticed). He was about to put the phone down but it rang up again with new message.

_From: Kuroko_

_I know a few at Akihabara. Do you want me to come with you?_

His heart leaped a bit at the answer. At least he won’t look like an idiot that seemed so lost in the middle of the crowd. It wasn’t a date but he was glad that he could spend a little more time with his newly found boyfriend.

_To: Kuroko_

_Yes please. I will definitely get lost in that area. See you at the station._

He finger paused at the send button. The message suddenly looked so plain. He knew that this was what he usually sent to Kuroko but somehow, their positions had changed now. He would need to do better than that.

_To: Kuroko_

_Yes please. I will definitely get lost in that area without you. Let’s meet at the station. Couldn’t wait to see you._

Maybe he should start reading some romantic novels or watch one of those chick flick movies so that he could improve his wordings. He was hopeless at being romantic.

* * *

Kuroko was already there when he arrived at the Akihabara station, standing and waiting for him patiently. Actually, he didn’t know that Kuroko was there until he felt a tuck at his sleeve. Of course, Kagami yelped in surprised as always.

“Good morning, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko greeted him after Kagami calmed down for a bit. Unlike his normal deadpan expression that he usually wore when they greeted, Kuroko had a slight smile on his face.

“G-Good morning,” he scratched at the back of his head. This was their first official day since the confession. He still didn’t know how to act or what he should do around Kuroko. They hadn’t had the talk about their relationship since then. He didn’t know if there should be some kind of ground rules or requirements for both of them or not.

Alex swung her arms around him and Kuroko gleefully.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go~”

He wasn’t sure who was leading who now that Alex seemed to run all over the place as soon as she saw something that interested her, leaving him alone with Kuroko. Akihabara was busy today too as it was a weekend.

“Alex-san is really energetic isn’t she? Is she always like this?”

“You should see me after her training session. She’s as bad as Coach,” minus the bad cooking, her training was as horrendous as Riko. She was a professional basketball player after all. Sometimes he wondered how far she would go if she didn’t fall ill.

“If it’s Kagami-kun, he would need a very extreme coach. Kagami-kun is very tough after all.”

“Sometimes I question the sanity of you all people,” he sighed as he tried to navigate the crowd of people. Alex was already at the figurine shop a few meters ahead. He looked Kuroko who was just behind him. At this rate, he would lose Kuroko to the crowd.

Their hands touched briefly as he hesitated what he was about to do. He never did this before and he didn’t know if he should actually say something at that point. Kuroko seemed to get what Kagami was doing and entwined his forefinger with Kagami’s. Both of them were blushing madly at the slight interaction. Both couldn’t really look at each other from the embarrassment which Kagami was sure that he shouldn’t feel this.

Kagami pulled Kuroko closer to him and the entwining fingered turned into hand holding. Kuroko’s hand was so warm, Kagami thought. They didn’t say a word as they walked together but Kagami could feel Kuroko gripping his hand a little tighter which Kagami returned the gesture by rubbing his thumb over the back of Kuroko’s hand.

Instead of finding Alex, she was the one that ran up to them with her hands full of shopping bags. She eyed Kagami and Kuroko’s hand with intensely as if she was trying to burn it. Kagami didn’t let go immediately out of embarrassment. If he was going to do this with Kuroko, he needed to be brave enough to comfortably show that he loved him. To his surprise, Alex suddenly laughed out loud.

“I don’t know if you two are a couple or siblings I mean, you are so huge and he’s so-”

“One more word and I am kicking you back to America!”

* * *

They decided to wait or Alex’s shopping spree at a random café by the street. Kuroko sat silently opposite of him, sipping on his vanilla shake (taste different from Maji Burger but it was still tasty) and Kagami just munched on a sandwich.

“Sorry about Alex, she could be a little…loud sometimes.”

“I don’t mind. I think that she very joyful to be with. She must have been very close to you back in America.”

Kagami suddenly remembered Alex towering over him and Himuro, calling them stupid for lying to their parents before hauled their asses back to their home where both were being scolded until their ears went numb. He also remembered himself and Himuro begging for Alex not to leave them when they misunderstood a photoshoot for a wedding. Yes, Alex was really important to him. She and Himuro was his  _chosen_ family.

“My parents are often busy so they weren’t always home to take care of me. I didn’t have many friends back then and all I have was this crazy nanny that won’t let me go outside. The rules for underage people over there were quite strict I guess,” he remembered being told by his parents to never travel alone when they were there. Himuro also said the same thing, “I couldn’t speak English that fluently yet and people are quite reluctant to befriend someone who was so ordinary. Yes, I wasn’t good at anything back then. So when Himuro invited me to play basketball, I was just so surprised. He was like the brother I never had. He would teach me a lot of things, not only basketball and assured my parents that I was in good hands.”

“And Alex, she was more than a teacher. She was like a second mother to me. I mean, without her I doubt that I could basketball that much,” he remembered Alex taking him and Himuro to watch an actually NBA match. It was one of the happiest moments in his life. The roar of the crowd, the sound of the ball being dunked or the echoed of the buzzer as the match ended. It was one of the moments when he felt really alive.

“I never know that Kagami-kun had such a lonely past,” Kuroko’s face looked really worried which made Kagami’s heart stung a little. He didn’t mean to make him look upset.

“I know what it was like to feel lonely. Not many people notice me let alone be my friend,” Kuroko’s grip on the vanilla shake twitched as if his body reacted to something in his mind. A memory perhaps? Born with a weak presence, Kuroko wasn’t a loner by choice. He just had to deal with it. Kagami couldn’t imagine what it must be like. Kagami ruffled Kuroko’s head fondly. It was a gesture that Kuroko let him do it out of trust and Kagami really appreciated it.

“Hey, I have a lot of people now. More importantly, I have you now. Don’t sulk okay?”

“I know. And I have you too, Kagami-kun.”

Kagami knew that they didn’t need to act differently or anything. No stupid rules or any ground was laid on that day. He just went on with the flow and kissed Kuroko right there. He promised himself that he would never make Kuroko felt that loneliness again just as Kuroko vowed to make sure that Kagami felt that he belong here with him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am still doubting my ability to write romance ;__;


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami realised that he got himself one hell of a boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I was approaching the end of my internship so things were getting quite busy here. I took [wingroad's headcanon](http://wingroad.tumblr.com/post/89668050461/kagami-kissing-kurokos-palms-and-wrists-before) on Kagami kissing Kuroko's hand before they had a match for good luck because it was so cute and I had a thing for these little kisses. I just love cute couples okay (and Izuki support me. You KagaKuro fans know what I mean). This is the FIRST chapter I didn't include the flashback dream in the story. There was a reason for it haha. This chapter is really short compared to others though…sorry ;__;

Alex was giving him a private training to get him ready. It was like one of those intense training back in America all over again for Kagami. From the explanation that Alex gave him, he knew why. Meteor Jam wasn’t just a normal dunk; it was a falling star dunking that requires not only strength but huge amount of precision as well. So far, he couldn’t get it right yet.

He also knew that Kuroko had a private training with Aomine with shooting (Kuroko had been telling him that since their date…if it was a date). He was a bit worried at first since it was Aomine. Yes, they might have made up and Aomine acknowledge Kuroko’s basketball again but he was still worried. Kuroko assured him that everything was going to be alright and that Aomine was really back to his former self.

“Kagami-kun should really focus on his training because we are running out of time,” Kuroko told him over the phone with a hint of seriousness. Indeed, they didn’t have the luxury of time like before the actual Winter Cup. If he didn’t get this move correct soon, there might not be a chance to win against Himuro and Murasakibara. Kuroko was doing all he could as well in order to win.

* * *

His body ached all over the next morning of his first training session. Alex was really a monster. It was good thing that the coach did not put him on the match because he was still aching from jumping and smashing balls into the hoop.

Kagami believed in his team, even if it was a shaky at first but they managed to pull it through. Seirin was more than just his team, Seirin found its way through his heart and it became his family too. Their senpais might be weird and sometimes bossy (at least in Kagami’s opinion) but they were also reliable and warm. It was very similar to what Himuro and Alex made him felt back in the state, the warmth of a family.

Sure the slap sting but it was a good kind of sting because it made Kagami laughed a bit as he looked at everyone else who had the same mark as he did. They had a long way to the finals and even if their opponents weren’t the Generation of Miracles, they were just like Seirin, the people who starved for victory.

Before everyone leave for their own practice, Kagami stopped Kuroko for a moment. He pulled out a pair of black bandages from his bag and handed to Kuroko.

“Here, you are going to use those wrist a lot while practice your shooting. Your wristband won’t be enough to secure the joints. Use the bandages instead for the practice,” he knew this from his experience in America when he just started basketball. Kuroko already put a lot of strain on his wrist with his style of passing. This shooting practice would be tough for him.

His boyfriend (he was still getting used to that word) gladly accepted it and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. He tried not to blush so much from it and wondered if he would ever get used to this.

“Thank you Kagami-kun. I will make a good use of it. I’m sorry that I didn’t bring anything for Kagami-kun,” Kagami patted Kuroko’s head and cupped his face so that their forehead touched. He could see Kuroko’s bright blush so clearly with their faces so close like this.

“You don’t need to, idiot. Just do your best for both of us.”

“…I really love Kagami-kun,” at last, their lips met for one sweet kiss before they really part for their own training a little energized than before. But not before Kagami replied back that he love Kuroko too.

* * *

Their next match was a shaky one since Seirin was leaded by their opponent in the third quarter. The advantages they got since the first two quarters were taken back. Riko gave both Kagami and Kuroko a quick heads up and let them prepared themselves a few minutes before going in the court.

“Good luck,” Kagami said to Kuroko when they were changing out of their bench clothes. He looked around and made sure that no one was looking before pulled Kuroko’s hand up to his lips for a quick kiss. A good luck charm at least.

Kuroko smiled and grabbed his hand to pull it to a kiss too, “Let’s do our best Kagami-kun.”

With the rookie duo in the court, they gained back the points the lost. Seirin once again advanced further through their bracket. Kagami couldn’t be happier and gave Kuroko their signature fist bump before they were being bombarded with their team’s group hug.

The screen showed the next matches in line and their date. Kagami’s stomach dropped as he saw the name of the school they had to defeat next: Yosen.

“Kagami-kun,” Kuroko’s worried voice was by his side. He knew why Kagami was worried the moment he saw the school name. Of course, he was going to face Himuro once again, this time with another Generation of Miracles and his team. He knew it was going to be a tough battle in both physical and mental aspect for him. He didn’t want to lose that bond he formed with his surrogate brother.

“It’s alright. Let’s regroup with the others,” he ruffled Kuroko’s head shortly and was about to head back to the locker. He could feel Kuroko’s hand grasping on his jersey to stop him. He was being serious when he said that he wanted to help Kagami dealing with his problem between him and Himuro.

“Kagami-kun, you don’t have to choose. I don’t want to you to choose between your brother and Seirin,” he really wished that he could do that. He wished that this was just a friendly sport where he could play with all his might and then slapped Tatsuya back on the next day. However, Kagami knew that he couldn’t. He made a mistake back in America by holding back and as a result, it casted a rift between him and his brother. If he won, they were no longer brothers. If he lost, they would also no longer be brothers and he probably couldn’t look at his teammates in the eye ever again. Either way, he would lose his brother but if he won, at least he still has Seirin and Kuroko with him.

 

“I really wish it could be that way Kuroko. I really do.”

* * *

Even on his last day of training, he couldn’t get the Meteor Jam correct. Alex frowned as Kagami just collapsed on the ground panting hard. Icy mist formed as he breathed out. A good thing about winter was that the cold weather did help him with his fatigue body a little. Kagami hated the coldness but right now, he could use some cold.

Tomorrow would be the day that he had to face Himuro. Kuroko texted him right before he went to sleep, asking if he was going to be alright. To be honest, he didn’t feel alright. He was scared of what was going to happen tomorrow. Yet, Kagami would be ready for it. There was a great difference between being scared and not ready and Kagami was ready to face with whatever was waiting for him tomorrow. He already made the choice. If he had to choose between the past and the future, it wasn’t really a heard one to choose.

Kagami half-expected the dream to come that night. It always came when something big was going to happen. Ever since he entered Seirin…no, ever since he met Kuroko, his dreaming pattern became weirder. It was as if he brain knew that something in his dream was going to help him (which it certainly did in some of the cases). However, that night, his mind was blank. Was he too worried about facing Himuro and Murasakibara that he couldn’t help but fell into a deep, dreamless sleep?

He couldn’t help but felt a little uneasy in the morning. What would Junben do if he was in Kagami’s shoes? Junben was a confident man. He was the right hand man of two head of clans after all. He would stay true to his resolve and do whatever it takes to win for his cause. He would stay true to his decision. That was why he stayed his hand and chose to defy his master’s order to assassinate Nobutsuka. He was the man that take the risk instead of calculated the possibility. And more than anything, he had faith in his partner, Nobutsuka.

Kagami had total faith in Kuroko and his team. He knew that he alone might not made it through this match easily but with Seirin, perhaps everything would be alright. He just hoped that he had that much faith in himself as he walked on the same court as Himuro.

* * *

When Kuroko made his first basket, Kagami felt his heart lurched with pride. The boy who could never score once in his life just made his first score record. More importantly, his boyfriend just scored against Murasakibara’s team, the Shield of Aegis. He really wanted to give him a kiss and tossed him in the air but of course, they needed to restart as fast as possible.

Kuroko might not be the ultimate scorer like the other Miracles but he had something totally different from others. He had the ability to change the flow of the game. That was why he was their specialist, the Phantom sixth man of the prodigies. He got himself one hell of a boyfriend.

Even if they managed to score and caught up so much, it wasn’t enough. He still couldn’t stop Himuro’s mystical mirage shot. He was still struggling when he went against Himuro. There was a small- no…a big part in his heart that still wished that it didn’t have to be this way. If he still thought like that, they would lose and Kagami couldn’t let his just founded family down. Not like how he let Hiuro down. So he told Kuroko to throw the ring away. He could just tell anyone to do that but he wanted Kuroko to be the one who did it. The ring was his memento of his brotherhood with Himuro. If there was anyone he would have the honour of disposing it, he would choose Kuroko, someone he looked up just as much as Himuro. With that, perhaps he would play with all his ability. He already made the choice and he needed to keep it. Kuroko believed in him. Seirin believed in him. He couldn’t let them down.

He thought that maybe he needed to thank Kise after this because if it wasn’t for his words (or more of an insult), he wouldn’t be able to enter the zone the second time. He still couldn’t do it like Aomine did but he could finally opened it the second time. He was able to stop Himuro’s shot and he could take down Murasakibara’s powerful dunk. Things were going good for them until Murasakibara came back with a renewed spirit.

“You got yourself a good partner Tatsuya,” he said to himself. Murasakibara was stronger this time. Stronger than he was before that punch he got from Himuro (he suddenly remembered Kuroko’s punch as well). Yosen became a true team now that Murasakibara cooperated with everyone. It was as if they went back to square one again. Even worst, Murasakibara had entered the zone and he almost didn’t make it when he tried to defend the dunk.

But Yosen didn’t have Kiyoshi, the person that Seirin would trust explicitly. He was the reason that they were still standing. A few minutes with Kiyoshi on the court meant everything to them. Kiyoshi was like their ‘father’ of a kind, at least to Kagami. He would protect them and helped them whenever they were in trouble. They didn’t need to call him out because they knew that he would be there for them.

He wanted to be that kind of person too, the person that everyone could rely on. Not because he wanted to be that popular kid like he used to want anymore. He wanted to be the pillar of support just like his senpai, just like Kuroko who had their teammates back. He didn’t know why but he tried the move he never managed to get it right till the last moment. He poured not only his last strength into the dunk but also his heart. It fell into the hoop like a falling star that hold his wish and hope for winning.

They were too quick for celebration when Himuro tossed Murasakibara the last pass. Kagami couldn’t stand up; the after effect of zero stamina caught him up. But he wasn’t worried. He already saw Kuroko running after Murasakibara. Yes, Himuro might have Murasakibara but he also had Kuroko. He didn’t know if Kuroko got his jumping genes or not because he never saw him jumped that high before.

He really just got himself an amazing boyfriend.

* * *

The victory was a short one for Kagami. After a very quick group hug and everyone taking turn to ruffle Kuroko’s head, they had to line up and parted with Yosen. Himuro closed their scoreboard and also their brotherhood. He couldn’t call Himuro his big brother anymore. The victory was a bittersweet aftertaste for Kagami in this match. He didn’t have that much energy to celebrate with everyone else.

Of course Kuroko was having none of that. He stopped Kagami along their way out of the court.

“Are you two idiots?” sometimes Kagami just forgot how much of a straightforward person Kuroko was. Kagami knew that he kind of deserve that after all that moping. Kuroko showed Kagami what he thought he would never get to see again, his ring necklace. He told Kuroko to throw it away.

“Was it that hard to be both brothers and rivals? I understand how you feel Kagami-kun. But just because you two aren’t on the same team or one was better than the other, doesn’t mean that you two can’t be brothers,” Kagami knew that Kuroko was probably thinking the same thing for Aomine and Kise. They were both friends and rivals at the same time.

“But Himuro-”

“You don’t have to choose Kagami-kun,” he extended the ring to Kagami even further, urging for him to accept it, “I don’t know what it’s like to have a competitive sibling but I know what it’s like to have a broken relationship. Please don’t make the same mistake. Himuro-san will always be your brother even if you surpass him because that’s what a younger sibling does when they have a good older one to guide him, isn’t it?”

Kagami won’t deny it because he knew with all his heart that Himuro was a great brother. He would always pull Kagami out of trouble and saved his ass so many times he lost counts. Sometimes he felt like a spoiled brat because Himuro just did everything for him. He looked up to him, wanted to be just like him. That was why he practised basketball so hard, so that he could be as good as Himuro. More importantly, he could come this far from knowing nothing about basketball to being an ace of Seirin because Himuro pushed him hard. Kagmai finally realised that he didn’t just wanted to be good at basketball. He didn’t want to be better than Himuro. He wanted to make Himuro proud.

Although he wasn’t sure how Himuro felt towards him Kagami knew that it was time to be clear to him. This deal they made was a stupid one and he wouldn’t accept that. He took the ring from Kuroko’s hand and pulled Kuroko into a quick kiss, a thank you for knocking sense into him.

What would he do without Kuroko?

“Thank you, Kuroko. Please go ahead of me, I need to talk to my brother.”

Kuroko smiled as he looked at Kagami running along the hallway to reunite with his brother. Kagami realised that he didn’t have to choose between the past of the future, he could just embraced them together and just give his best at the present. He made a note to himself to give Kuroko a proper thank you later, probably a mini date in Maji Burger as they waited for the semi-finals.

He really got himself one hell of a boyfriend after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, please check out my [special summer chapter! ](http://thebasketballidiots.tumblr.com/post/92159559779/fic-over-and-over-again-kagakuro-special-summer)I only post it in the Tumblr for now :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter Cup ends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Warning, I just put one huge time skip here. This is because I want the story to progress a little faster. We are approaching the end of the story though. I planned for about three (maybe more maybe less) chapters more including the epilogue. I don’t think that there will be sequel for this either because I couldn’t think of one haha. I took a small portion of the manga where Kagami said that he hate loud rude crowds when he was playing a match and use it a little bit in this chapter here. Also, the nickname of each team was from official arts and banners XD I did not name them that! I did change something a little bit from the canon chapter. Kagami did this one amazing speech but later I saw him correcting himself during the match. He actually blamed no one. At first, he said that wasn’t it Kuroko’s fault for not speaking out to his former teammates to say that they were wrong because Kuroko walked away from the GoM in the end of the tournament. But later, he said during the match that perhaps nothing could have changed their view back then and he was unsure of what he said to Kuroko (Fujimaki avoid character shamming like a boss here :P).

A lot of things happened after that match. Kagami almost fought with Haizaki for hurting his brother and Alex. If it wasn’t for Himuro’s warning, he would have thrown everything he worked for away in a split second of fury. Himuro was injured although not very serious. He told Kagami to not worry about it. He thought that Hanamiya was already bad, but this guy was even worse. He was more than glad that Kise beaten Haizaki fair and square.

The match between Shutoku and Rakuzan was the kind of match that gave Kagami chills. It was downright scary and painful to watch Shutoku being brought down hard by Rakuzan, humiliated by Akashi. He might not like Midorima that much but he respected that guy. Seeing him defeated like that left a bitter taste in his mouth. It was a shame that Akashi figured out the trick behind Takao’s pass because it was one of the most amazing pass that Kagami had ever seen. Kuroko even said to him after the game. It was also the first time he saw Midorima’s tears. It must have been very frustrated for him.

Their match with Kaijo was nothing like the practice that they had. Kuroko’s phantom shot was blocked and Kise just stepped up a whole new level of copying moves. Kise might not be able to play the whole game but his presence on the court changed everything. There was a moment of doubt and huge amount of pressure from the crowd but Kagami just screamed his lungs out to shake it off. There was no such thing as antagonists and protagonists in true sportsmanship. Of course, if you were someone like Hanamiya and Haizaki then you were just assholes. This was why Kagami really hated rude audience in a match. He reminded everyone with his not so very good poetic words that they were just players, not some kind of monsters that wanted to destroy everyone.

What surprised everyone the most, was Kuroko’s buzzer beater with Kagami’s assist. He was sure that even Kuroko himself couldn’t believe what he just achieved. It was the first time he was able to do a buzzer beater (and as he said, he could die happy). He scooped Kuroko up and throw up in the air before ruffled his head in delight. There he was the player who never scored stepped up to being one of the most unpredictable scorers. He could never be more proud of his boyfriend.

What was left for them was the last match. The final showdown between the Miraculous Rising Star team called Seirin and the Emperor of Creation, Rakuzan. He saw how Akashi played. He knew how scary this person could be. It would be a lie to say that he wasn’t scared but Kagami was scared of what could happen. He still had no idea what Midorima meant when he said that there were two Akashi. However, there was this worried expression on Kuroko’s face ever since Midorima said that. What happened to these kids when they were in middle school?

In the end, Kuroko told them everything over dinner. About his childhood friend, how he discovered misdirection, how the Generation of Miracles was born and the downfall of each members. More importantly, they all knew now what happened to Akashi and why each member was so obsessive with their skills. Kagami wanted to blame it on the adults of Teiko. What kind of grownups taught their kids to be victorious over everything? What kind of school taught their students to not accept defeat? They were a bunch of messed up kids. And for Kuroko to be caught up in the middle of it all, Kagami couldn’t help but admired the strength his boyfriend had.

What he couldn’t accept was the fact that Kuroko still carried that guilt all this time. He was guilty that he couldn’t help his friend, none of them, back then. He still blamed himself for everything that happened. So Kagami did what he always did when people mopped, he knock some senses into them by telling what he thought was right.

Kuroko was afraid (he could felt the tremor in his voice), so afraid that everyone would look at him differently after they knew what really happened at Teiko. He was so afraid that they would abandon him for what he did to Ogiwara and how he once hurt the people around him. But Seirin wasn’t any other team, they were a family consisted of crazy and messed up people. Kuroko would fit in just find. They would always find a room for their phantom player. And more importantly, Kuroko already made a room in Kagami’s heart. It was a permanent one. Kagami was more than sure that nothing could ever move it away.

Everyone left his apartment, one by one, until there was one left but him and Kuroko.

“Hey, don’t take my criticism seriously though. I just want to say that maybe if you talk to them more back then, it might solve some problem,” Kagami wasn’t sure if he was being too harsh a while ago when he said that Kuroko should have told his friends what was right and wrong. He wasn’t really sure now if words would ever change someone who was that stubborn like Aomine or the _other_ Akashi.

“No, Kagami-kun was right. I really shouldn’t mope about what was in the past. I should focus on what I can do now. Although…I do wish that I have more courage back then. So that I could-” he pulled Kuroko into a tight hug, resting Kuroko’s head on his chest. He circled his hand on the little boy’s back and laid another on the back of his head. Today was an emotional day for Kuroko. He went through a rough match with Kaijo, telling everyone about his past, being reminded what he lost. He didn’t need Kuroko to beat himself up any more than this.

“You did what you could.”

“But you said-”

“Forget it,” he cut Kuroko off. It wasn’t Kuroko’s job to hold the team together. It should be everyone’s job to make the team happen. It was supposed to be those adults’ job to make sure that these kids stayed that way, or even their seniors. Not a boy who had been through too much. If Alex was here, she would march through the school and gave the principle one hell of a lecture about their philosophy.

“Forget everything that I said. You did your best. I’m sorry that I said that, I shouldn’t say that it’s your fault. No one should take all the blame for what happen. Okay?”

Kuroko was silent for a long time. Kagami could feel something moisten his shirt and hug Kuroko even tighter. Trembling sob wrecked from the body in the arms and to Kagami, everything just felt so wrong.

“I just want all of them back,” Kuroko’s voice was never this small. But it wasn’t broken. Kagami knew that Kuroko might once be broken but he was fine now. He had Seirin and Kagami knew that he would always be here for Kuroko. He may not like the Generation of Miracles that much (certainly not after hearing what they once did), but they were important to Kuroko. “I want my friends back, Kagami-kun.”

“We will. I promise you that we will. I will help you. We will knock Akashi’s sense back and then we are going to number one in Japan. You told me once right? That you don’t have to choose between past and future,” he also didn’t need Kuroko to choose between Seirin or his middle school friends, “After this, after we get them back, we’re going to play a lot of basketball together. With Seirin and with the Generation of Miracles. Right?”

Kuroko didn’t answer him but he could feel a small nod. He let Kuroko stayed there in his embrace for a long while until his boyfriend calm down enough. Kuroko pulled him into a kiss and thanked him again for his support which Kagami gladly accepted. He told Kagami that he would look forward to the game and that they would definitely bring his friend back.

Although Kagami wanted to walk him home, Kuroko assured that he was fine and that Kagami should really rest up before tomorrow. They gave each other another kiss before and another fist bump (because it meant so much to them as much as a kiss).

“Still, I can’t believe that I forgot that moment, the first time that I met you,” Kagami said before Kuroko went out of the door which caused him to turn his head back and smile

“I remember you though, you always look so scary,” Kagami felt his eyebrow twitched. Sure he always looked so scary at first sight…well, he was less scarier than most people he knew.

“But Kagami-kun’s words, I remembered them very well. I will always remember you encouraging me even though we were once strangers, when I was at my lowest point. You gave me hope a little back then…and you are still my hope even now.”

“Well…I’m you light. Right?” he shrugged. There he said it. He was proud of being Kuroko’s light and Seirin’s light. It was a heavy burden to bear as the team’s ace. But he wasn’t the only person who bared it alone. That was why, on matter how heavy his job was, he would get though it just fine.

“Yes. Please rest well Kagami-kun.”

* * *

 

The whole stadium shook as if the ceiling was about to collapse. They won. They did it. Kagami couldn’t even feel his legs anymore. His ears were deaf to the sound of the crowding cheering on Seirin’s name. Everyone in Seirin team seemed to have frozen as they gazed at the scoreboard, unable to really believe that something like that just happened. They finally became number one of Japan just like they once promised.

“Kagami-kun!” that was the only thing that Kagami could hear as he snapped out of his almost trance state (an after effect of second level of zone, he thought). He was tackled by Kuroko’s whole body weight that pushed him to the floor of the court. It hurt but only a little since he couldn’t feel a thing on his limbs anymore.

“Wha-Kuroko?” he asked his boyfriend who seemed to lock his arms around him in a tight lock embrace.

“Thank you Kagami-kun…Thank you,” Kuroko’s voice was shaking, not from sadness or exhaustion (even if Kagami knew that he was dead tired). Kuroko was overflowed with emotions that he couldn’t control his once deadpanned voice. He gleefully sobbed into Kagami’s chest and buried himself into Kagami’s body, saying “thank you” over and over again until Kagami lost counts.

“No, thank you and the team. We did it together,” before both of them could continue anymore, they were pulled by the others who could still stand although barely. All of the players were greated by Riko’s tight hug and the other teammates that didn’t play. It was one massive group hug filled with tears and affection. Kagami could feel the moisture at the corner of his eyes too although he didn’t really care. Sweat or tears, no one could tell the difference anymore.

Seirin could barely hear the whistle of the referee telling them to line up and ended the tournament. None of them could even stand straight. Kiyoshi has to be supported by Hyuuga and Izuki joined him in trying support Kiyoshi’s weak knee. Kagami and Kuroko were supporting each other.

Rakuzan didn’t look any better. Even Nebuya was looking as if he was about to tip over. Akashi had his eyes half closed from complete exhaustion. Everyone was truly at their limit. Kagami looked straight at Akashi. His eyes were somehow different. There were both red instead of yellow and red. He didn’t notice this when they were playing but now that they were up close, he could see how his eyes were different in both colour and the warmth inside it.

This must be the real Akashi, the one that lead Generation of Miracles back in their first steps.

Akashi seemed to notice that Kagami was staring at him and greeted him back. “It was a good game. Your skills are really admirable. It might sound a little strange but, I’m Akashi Seijuro and it’s been a pleasure to play with you.”

“Ah…thank you and I think we already introduced each other once,” he could remember the first encounter very well. It wasn’t every day that someone was trying to stab you in the face with a pair of scissors.

“I think that we should start anew for the introduction,” and Kagami couldn’t argue with that. It was better this way. Still, he needed to make sure that it would stay this way.

“You seemed like a pretty cool guy actually. Just…y’know, get professional help.”

“I’m sorry?”

He wasn’t sure if anybody actually noticed about Akashi’s illness at all other than his own teammates. Why no one actually made him seek out for professional help? But now that the old Akashi seemed to be in control, it was probably a good time make sure that he should get some help.

“Your illness. Or should I say your disorder. You should get a professional help. I don’t know how it works here in Japan but it’s not something that you should cope alone.”

Akashi actually looked ashamed when his personality disorder was mention. Even if he was in control now, there wasn’t any guarantee that his other self might take over in the future. It was supposed to be a long term condition after all.

Kagami recognised the look on Akashi’s face. It was the same one that Kuroko wore when he told the story of Ogiwara. He was ashamed that he caused so much pain to other people. He must have blamed himself as well. From what Kuroko told him, Akashi was a good leader (or at least his true self was). He cared about the others. It must have been shocking for hi t remember what he just did to people he cared about.

“Akashi-kun, please. You are not along anymore,” it was Kuroko this time. He must have sensed this too, “Not everyone was angry at you. There are a lot of people who waited for you to come back. We want you to stay like this so please…”

Akashi’s expression turned into a smile when Kuroko assured him. He gave both of them a slight nodded a promise that he would get himself some help with his disorder.

“112 to 111, Seirin wins.”

“Thank you very much for the game!”

If there was such thing as a perfect ending, it would be this moment. Kagami never felt so completed.

* * *

 

After the match, Seirin didn’t celebrate right away. As soon as they entered the locker room, the 5 starters just wanted to sleep right there. They couldn’t though; they still have the closing ceremony to be done and trophy to be given out. They all hugged and cheered with a lot of patting and back slapping. The locker room was never this loud until that day.

Everyone decided to make Kiyoshi the one accepted it. It would be his last tournament with the surgery pending for him. Kiyoshi was the one holding the trophy as they took the team photo but as soon as they got the picture he handed it to Hyuuga as the captain of the team who finally gave it to Riko for all the work she pulled as their coach.

The first years had a great idea and decided to toss the rookie duo in the air for the amazing stunt they pulled during the match. Before both Kagami and Kuroko could protest, they were already several feet in the air before coming down and being thrown up again. It was a fun moment for Seirin where they forgot about basketball and enjoyed with what they achieved.

When Kagami was in the air, he could see their rival teams smiling at them, cheering for their success. Rakuzan donned their silver medals while Shutoku proudly present their bronze. The glittering gold around his neck shone as he was tossed into the air for the final time. It felt much more alive than his highest jump.

The first person that greeted the team at the exit was no one but Ogiwara Shigehiro. If it wasn’t for his voice back then, perhaps they wouldn’t win. He tackled Kuroko in a tight hug after their long parting. The childhood friend that should have given up on basketball ages ago found the strength to pick up the ball again, just like Kuroko. He was similar to Kuroko in a way. They both properly greet each other with a teary hug before Kuroko introduce his friend to the team.

“So you’re Kagami right? That was the most awesome dunk I have ever seen! I don’t know what kind of food you eat to be this tall but, man! That was really awesome,” it took a basketball idiot to know another one. He didn’t have to guess that Kuroko’s friend was a basketball addict just like them. He could only wonder how good Kuroko’s friend was.

As much as Ogiwara wanted to continue rambling on, Seirin were being surrounded by photographers, reporters and microphones. He decided to step out for a bit and let them received the attention they deserve. Seirin wasn’t one of the famous schools in sport, not even when they were able to reach the Inter High in the previous year. Now that they managed to win the Winter Cup, every sports magazine just couldn’t wait to get a piece of them on their issues.

Everyone was just dumbfounded at the attention they received. Most of them were directed at Hyuuga and Riko for being the captain and the coach of the team.

“How did you actually come up with the regiments? Do you really come up with all the training on your own?” one of the reporter asked as he still couldn’t let the idea that a high school student was the coach of the winning team. Riko actually looked a little insulted by the words.

“Seirin just started for 2 years. That must have been one of the greatest achievements. You only have second year and first year as your team. How hard is it to be the captain?” another asked Hyuuga who was still lost at his words.

Kagami didn’t get to hear their answers when one of the reporters held the recorder in front of him. “Kagami-san, you are the ace of the team and you are still in the first year! That must have been tough for you to have such position.”

“Ah…” he was never interviewed by anyone before. None of the reporters bother to come to interview Seirin during the Inter High. Kagami wasn’t trained to handle this kind of situation and he didn’t know what to say.

Suddenly, he felt a small hand on his back. He didn’t even need to turn around to actually see who it was that hold his back. He knew who it was.

“No, it wasn’t a tough one. Not because being an ace of the team is easy but because I know that I am not alone. I have a great team supporting me and I will do all I can to support them.”

He could see the rest of the people behind the reporter either jolt down the notes or taking pictures of him speaking. It was one of the most surreal moments for Kagami. How did those NBA stars handled all of this?

“Was it the fact that you came back from America that made your skill so much different from other player? What is the factor that affects the way you play your basketball the most?”

Erm…ah,” if it was half a year ago, his answer would be yes. He could just say that Japanese basketball was nothing compare to what he experience in America. However, after meeting the Generation of Miracles, playing with Seirin and being with Kuroko, he knew better. He wouldn’t trade a thing for what he just experience here where he was born.

“No. Living in America may have introduced me to basketball but the things that affect me the most are my opponent and my teammates. We have one of the craziest players here in Japan,” he could spot some coloured head from afar. They were probably watching his interview too, “Seirin has one of the amazing coach I have ever seen.”

Their coach was amazing although he would say the same for her cooking. Riko was elbowing him a little when he said that.

“Our captain really worked us up.”

He would be sure to prepare himself for further punishment from Hyuuga after this. He was sure that he would get one.

“And because we are more than a team, our teammates somehow become our family. We trust each other and there’s nothing scarier than 5 people working together on court than 5 people working individually.”

He could feel the beaming of pride radiated from his team. He hoped that his speech did justice to what Seirin deserved. Kagami knew that there was one particular person that should receive a bit more attention on this occasion.

“Also, I have one hell of a partner that always right beside me. I think he could put it to words better than me,” he grabbed the hand behind his back and pulled Kuroko to the front. Kuroko did not expect this to happen and gasped at Kagami as he was now at the centre of spotlight.

“Kagami-kun!”

“Although some of you had already interviewed him I think that you all might have already forget who he is. He’s the former sixth man of Teiko basketball club’s regulars and also our regular, Kuroko Tetsuya.”

There were multiple murmured voices when he mentioned ‘Teiko’ although that wasn’t the important part. What was important now was that he was one of Seirin. Kuroko’s eyes widen as the additional recorder were now near him. He was always the one behind the shadow, the one that no one would notice but now people were seeing him. They were actually taking pictures of him and they were all interested in him. He didn’t know if he should actually hide or not from this overwhelming attention.

“Without him, we could never win this match…in fact, without him we could get a chance at Winter Cup. He might not be the most aggressive player or the best scorer,” he turned his head to Kuroko instead of the crowd ahead of him, “But he was the one that we can’t imagine without.”

Kuroko looked at the crimson eyed that looked at him and held the hand that was on his shoulders.

“He is another ace of our team, I should say. And there’s nothing that I want more today than for him to take the spotlight that he deserve.”

Questions were then fired at Kuroko one by one. Although most of them were about his past in Teiko, Kuroko didn’t mind answer it. He was being fully recognised by everyone now. One thing that Kagami knew from all the time he spent with Kuroko was that he actually like it when people notice him. Being almost invisible for all his life, Kuroko might not get used to people calling out his name or walked right up to him to greet. Having people around was good for Kuroko.

All the time that Kuroko answered the interview, he did not let go of Kagami’s hand and squeeze it slightly. _Thank you_ , Kuroko said through the touch.

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of things happened after Winter Cup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is the chapter that I’ve been planning before I even wrote the first chapter. It was the chapter that I wanted to write the most. At first, I want it to be one chapter until I realised that it would be too long so I made it into two chapters. Also, when Kagami went to America for training with Alex, he went on Seirin’s short exchange program. Apparently they had a sister school in America too.

They held a club graduation ceremony for Kiyoshi who would spend the rest of his High School life studying and recovering from his injury. It was a bittersweet goodbye to the sport he loved. Everyone had tears in their eyes as Kiyoshi hung the jersey on the wall of their locker. It became the monument for Seirin Basketball team. This was the jersey of the man who created this team, this new rising star. Everyone once dubbed Kiyoshi “Seirin’s daddy” because he was more than just their big brother; he was also the father of his Seirin team. Before he departed, he gave his teammates that formed the club with him on his first year a heartfelt hug. Even Hyuuga didn’t have the heart to resist it. He gave the first year a head pat each and a thank you to the team. He wore the golden medal from Winter Cup as he walked out of the clubroom and perhaps along his way home too. But Kiyoshi’s departure wasn’t going to break Seirin. Instead, it fuelled Seirin to get even better so that they could play for his sake too.

Right after the first day of his surgery, Seirin flooded Kiyoshi’s room with a bunch of flowers, get well cards and snacks consisted of black sugar candies and Dorayaki. The doctor assured that the surgery went well and that Kiyoshi could go back to play sports again after the rehab, just not in time for their next tournament or the one after that. Seirin surprised Kiyoshi with a surgery fund they all pitched in so that he didn’t have to pay all of the expense. They all knew that Kiyoshi lived with his grandparents and he also did some part-time to lessen their burdens. Being the founder of Seirin team, they felt that they should leave him a memorable parting gift. What Seirin didn’t know was that the most memorable gift he got was every moment he spent with the team.

School life after the Winter Cup was like a holiday for both Kagami and Kuroko. Of course, there were still practices and drills as usual (no slacking off, coach said) but because there still practice games with various schools but much less frequent than the matches in the tournament. Even since they won the Winter Cup, every school tried to get their hands on Seirin for a practice match. It wasn’t hard to find good school for occasional games. What surprised everyone the most was people’s reaction to Kagami’s presence on the court.  There were moments where they could hear the players or the crowd awing as he played.

“There he goes the ace of Seirin!”

“Look at those dunks. I feel sorry for the opponent team.”

“Was he really a high school student? He’s really good!”

It went on as they played. Sometimes, Kagami would get flocked by a bunch of rookie players asking for tips which Kagami wasn’t sure how to answer but tried his best at giving them the support they need.

Another thing that changed was that people started to look out for Kuroko more. Not on court of course, because they were all busy with the other 4 players that was giving them a hard time that they forgot to notice Kuroko. It made Kagami happy when people were asking for his boyfriend so that they could see how good he really was. Kuroko deserved this. He deserved this attention for all the hard work that he pulled.

Kagami and Kuroko had more time together now that they have less matches. Kagami would invite Kuroko to his house (he remembered how Kuroko once pouted when he found out how big his house was). They would watch some NBA matches or some movie they rented from a store together. On good days, they went out to the arcade or go watch a movie together and went to play some basketball before Kagami walked him home (or vice versa since Kuroko insisted). It wasn’t a great romantic date like people would imagine couples would do but it was something they both enjoyed. There wasn’t much public displayed affection since both of them still have their own shy moments but Kagami was happy to have Kuroko by his side and Kuroko made sure to return the same feeling. He also saw Kuroko’s house for the first time when he walked Kuroko home. Kagami remembered once that Kuroko turned down the request from the other first year when they asked him if they could come to his house. He said that his house was small. He wasn’t kidding.  Kuroko’s house was small compare to the spacious penthouse Kagami lived in. His whole living room could over the entire first floor of Kuroko’s house. According to Kuroko, four people lived in this house. No wonder Kuroko was pouting when he first saw Kagami’s apartment. One day, Kuroko came up with a different idea. He invited Kagami to his home and having dinner with his family. Since Kagami lived alone, Kuroko said that it would be nice to have a homey dinner for once with homemade dish that wasn’t his own. Kagami was very reluctant at first. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see Kuroko’s family or that he wanted to be rude. He just didn’t know what he should do or how he should behave around Kuroko’s parents.

“Kagami-kun, don’t be silly. My parents are kind and they will love you,” Kuroko assured him or at least he tried. Kagami didn’t want Kuroko to be sad and so he accepted the offer with uneasiness still clouded in his mind.

“Thank you Kagami-kun. I’m sure that my parents and my grandmother will be delighted to have a guest,” Kuroko warned him with a playful tone. His boyfriend was really enjoying this didn’t he? Like he was going to wear a suit to the dinner!

No, Kagami wore his red hoodie with a white shirt with some black print on it. At least it looked better than his usual black shirt. Kuroko was the one that came up to greet him on the door with a small smile. He came in with a small “Sorry for intrusion” that seemed too out of his usual habit that it made Kuroko let out a small stifle chuckled. He wasn’t to make Kuroko’s parent think that he was a loud obnoxious returnee! Not when they still have no idea that he was dating Kuroko.

The first person he saw as he entered Kuroko’s father whom had jet black hairs and black eyes. Kuroko’s father was much taller than Kuroko but still shorter than Kagami. He had the calm and expressionless that Kagami would normally saw on Kuroko’s face when he was talking to others (he always had a small smile whenever he talked to Kagami). Kagami could only make one logical assumption where he got that from.

“You must be Kagami-kun. Welcome to our home,” he greeted Kagami politely. Not only Kuroko inherited his calm expression but also his politeness, “I’m Kuroko Soya, Tetsuya’s dad.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kuroko-san,” he could feel Kuroko’s little smirk even if he didn’t look at him. Just as Soma invited him to take a seat near the dining table, Kagami heard another foreign voice right by his side.

“I really hope that you like  _Tonkatsu Curry_ [1] dear,” Kagami felt like this had happened before but never with a person that he currently didn’t know. He turned his head to see a blue haired lady standing beside him. He yelped in surprised before closed his mouth with his hands at the sudden rudeness.

“I-I’m sorry mam’ I didn’t notice you earlier,” he apologized profusely at the lady which he could only assume was Kuroko’s mother. He didn’t think that the lack of presence was a genetic work but it happened to be just that. Kuroko’s mother not only possessed Kuroko’s traits of his presence but also his baby blue hair. In fact, he looked exactly like his mother.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure that this isn’t the first time it happens to you either since you became Tet-chan’s friend,” Kuroko’s mother was the complete opposite of his father. She always seemed to be cheery and expressive. She actually reminded him of Alex in some way.

“How rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Kuroko Midoka, nice to meet you Kagami-kun.”

“Ah, a pleasure to meet you too Kuroko-san.”

“Please, call me Kaa-san. You are Tet-chan’s friend so don’t need to be very formal to me.”

Kagami was ushered into the dining room by Midoka where he was greeted by the smell of freshly cooked food. The table was full of Tonkatsu Curry and sliced cabbages. Kuroko reappeared a few minutes later with his grandmother whom he guided carefully into the room. Kagami couldn’t guess her age but she looked to be in her 70s.

“Oh we have an extra guest? You must be Tet-chan’s friend. Kagami-kun, I assumed?” just how much did Kuroko tell his family about him? Everyone seemed to know who he was by the first glance. Kuroko’s grandmother wore a traditional kimono which made her look elegant. He gave her an introduction and a bow in greeting which she laughed a little.

“Tet-chan, your friend is really polite. Are you sure that this is the Kagami-kun you’ve been telling us?” okay now he was really suspicious about what Kuroko told his family about him. What were they thinking about him before his visit? He hoped that it was nothing bad. Kuroko wouldn’t made his parents became suspicious of him right?

“He’s just really nervous Oba-san, Kagami-kun can be really loud when he wanted to,” Kagami really wanted to retort Kuroko right then. He was about to open his mouth until he realised that he was in Kuroko’s house and was surrounded by his family. He closed his lips and made a mental note to punish Kuroko later for it. Instead, Kagami just gave a nervous grin.

“Don’t say that Tet-chan, you are making your friend here a nervous wreck. I’m Kuroko Katsumi or Katsumi Ba-chan my dear. Please enjoy your stay,” at least it was good to know that someone was taking his side.

They asked him a lot of things during the dinner, about school, the club and mostly about his childhood in America. It only took a few minutes for the formality in the atmosphere to disappear. The food prepared by Midoka also tasted very good. They also talked a little bit about Kuroko’s childhood, how he didn’t have many friends because of his invisibility and it made him turned his hobby to reading a lot.

“I was really worried when he finally went to high school. But now that I see him making friends with everyone in basketball club and met a good friend like Kagami-kun, I am more that relieved!” Midoka beamed as she collected the empty plates from each person on the table. Kagami offered to help her washing which she declined, saying that he was their guest and that he should relax a bit. Kuroko followed her to the kitchen, leaving Kagami with Katsumi and Soya.

Of all the people in Kuroko’s family, Soya spoke the least (another quality that he and Kuroko shared). He had no idea what was going on in his head at all. His expressionless face was even worse than Kuroko. With Kuroko, there was at least something that he could indicate about his inner feelings for hidden agenda behind it. Soya was unreadable. He doubt that even Akashi’s emperor eye could read this man’s mind.

“Thank you for coming here young man. It’s really nice when we have guests. The last person that we invited was Ogiwara-kun. He used to live close by once. It was a long time ago,” Katsumi said as she was sipping the hot tea. Kagami wondered why didn’t Kuroko invite any of the Miracles to his home. He knew that they weren’t just Kuroko’s teammates but also his friends. They were really important to Kuroko and that was why he tried so hard to get them back to their senses. Maybe it was because of the capacity of the house and he didn’t want any of them to feel left out by just inviting one.

“Like we said, he didn’t have many friends. Ever since Ogiwara-kun moved away, he didn’t have many people to turn to. There was a moment he talked about his middle school’s basketball club. They won a lot of matches I believed. We were all really proud when he made it to the finals,” Katsumi continued.

“And then one day, he just turned back to the moment Ogiwara-kun moved away. He became silent again,” something in Kagami’s head told him that it must be the moment when he had a big fall out with Aomine. It was the first steps of the group’s downfall, “He became so isolated that we were thinking about asking his teachers what happen. It gotten so bad that he didn’t went to schools for a few days.”

“And then, a few days after he moved to Seirin. He just wouldn’t stop talking about his club,” Soya said all out of sudden. His voiced made Kagami flinched a little bit because he still couldn’t get used to the voice that sound so alike Kuroko but wasn’t him.

“He started to look happy whenever we asked about his school again. And most of all, he would always mentioned about a certain friend that he was so inspired by. He really admires you, Kagami-kun,” Kagami couldn’t help but blushed madly at the comment. He had no idea that Kuroko really felt that way about him since the beginning. He still couldn’t get around the idea that someone really looked up to him that much. And now with all the articles and talk about Seirin being the champion in Winter Cup, he got more attention that he started to doubt that he could handle it.

“Even when Ogiwara-kun was visiting, Kuroko wasn’t this excited. You must be really special to him,” there was an anchor dropping in his stomach when Soya said that. Did he notice about their relationship? He was sure that Kuroko didn’t tell his family yet, “I knew that you meant more than a friend to him, I won’t question it but, thank you for making my son smiles again.”

Soya’s face changed into a familiar small smile, that same grateful smile that he always saw on Kuroko’s face. He bowed his head a little which Kagami couldn’t help but flustered and muttered a quick “You’re welcome” back.

“I-I also admires Kuroko…-kun a lot too. He’s really strong as well, despite what people think,” or else he wouldn’t stand a chance against the Miracles at all, “He’s really amazing on court and…also my…very important…companion.”

Kagami didn’t know if he should really continue this talk or not but he hoped that Kuroko would come back soon. He really wished that he took some of Kuroko’s talent with words so that he could come up with a better sentence. It was a long moment before Kuroko came back. Kagami mentally wanted to hug him and told him to never leave him with his father and grandmother ever again. Not that they were scary or cold to him but Kagami just couldn’t handle people who were too kind to him, especially if those people were his boyfriend’s family.

* * *

The dinner ended with him saying goodbye to Kuroko’s family and headed home. Kuroko also asked for his parents for permission to stay over at Kagami’s house next weekend so that he could help Kagami with Japanese for the upcoming tests. Luckily, they agreed and gave him the permission even after he knew that Soya at least suspected that he and Kuroko were more than just normal friends. Perhaps, Soya trusted his son to Kagami’s care? He didn’t know what made Soya trust Kagami that much but he would make sure that Soya wouldn’t be disappointed.

Kagami’s phone beeped as he unlock his doors, it was a text from Kuroko.

_From: Kuroko_

_To: Kagami_

_I told you that they would love you._

He shook his head and quickly mashed the buttons back.

_From: Kagami_

_To: Kuroko_

                _Yeah you did. You really took after them alright. I can’t believe that the lack of presence is a genetic thing._

A few seconds later, he received another text.

_From: Kuroko_

_To: Kagami_

_I wish I could meet your parents too Kagami-kun. It’s already late, please rest have a good night. We are back to school and practice tomorrow. I love you._

The thought of his parents made him wondered about them too. He knew that both of them were still in America, busy with work. He didn’t know when where they going to come back to visit or if he should actually fly back there to visit them instead. During his time staying in America for training, he did visit them for a few times. Maybe next year, he would get Kuroko to enter the short exchange program to Seirin’s sister school with him.

_From: Kuroko_

_To: Kagami_

_Come to America with me next time, I’ll get you to meet them. I love you too._

His face was bright red when he hit sent. He wasn’t really good with the display of affection that much even in written forms. The image of Kuroko smiling at the text came into his mind. A whole minute later he received the final text of that day.

_From: Kuroko_

_To: Kagami_

_Kagami-kun is really cute._

Kagami almost dropped the phone in his hand.

* * *

The week went by swiftly with the first year students being hyped about their field trip to Sendai for Japanses History for 3 days. Everyone was busying finding partners for to share the room with. Kagami didn’t need to though; he already knew who he would rather share the room with.

Weekend approached faster than Kagami thought. It was the first time Kuroko would be sleeping over his home after all. They walked home from school together but instead of parting half-way like usual, they headed in the both direction.

“I’m really jealous of you Kagami-kun. You apartment is close to the stadium and closer to Seirin than mine,” to be honest, Kagami had no idea how did his dad get that place at all in the first place. It wasn’t just an apartment. It was a penthouse in the metropolitan area of Tokyo, enough to fit more than 10 people in the living room.

“I guess that it’s a perk for having parents working abroad. The neighbours can be a little noisy sometimes.”

“Was it lonely? Living alone?” Kuroko always lived with his family since he was little. He was surrounded by his parents and his grandmother and he managed to made a few friends in school too. Kagami was different. He grew up with nanny instead of spending time with his parents. He understood that they were busy and that they were working hard for the family. Still, he couldn’t help but wished that they were there for him sometimes. The memory of his home was an empty house where he ate meals cooked by his nanny instead of his parents. He remembered the first few weeks when he moved to America. If it wasn’t for Himuro, he doubted that he would still able to make friends. Coming back to Japan during his Middle School was even worst. This time, his parents didn’t come back with him. He was alone again. This time, without Himuro or his other basketball mates with him. That was until he came to Seirin of course.

“It can be pretty lonely but, that’s why you are here right?”

Kagami prepared both of them simple stir fried rice with spam (he got it from Alex how bought a dozen of them for him back from the States). Kuroko made a couple of boiled eggs to top the rice. He was really good at boiling eggs just like he once said. They ate meals over a tape of the latest NBA matches with Kagami translating Kuroko about what was the commentator saying for him.

Kuroko commented that if Kagami purposely made himself failing English exams or not because it was more detailed than Kuroko initially thought. Kagami could watched an English language movie or a documentary (that has basketball or surfing in it) just fine. He could speak English and talked with foreigners with no issues. But writing a perfect grammar essay in English or doing a critical thinking test wasn’t his specialities. He just went along with what he felt was the right answers.

“It’s really different when you are actually using it and doing the test really. Some people just don’t care if you are using ‘Past perfect continuous’ in your sentence or not.”

When the subject of study came up, Kuroko kindly reminded him that they needed to get on with his Japanese lesson. Turned out that Kuroko was very good at Japanese, both traditional and modern. He was also very patient when he made a mistake and very really good at explaining the composition in the characters. He couldn’t help but wished that he had more languages option back in his American schools. Kagami was falling behind a lot with the kanji.

They spend their time studying together for longer than Kagami expected (because he wasn’t the type that studies) before Kagami told Kuroko that they both should rest for the day. They both took turns showering and he showed Kuroko to the guest room, the one that his father was supposed to stay in.

“Good night, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko said as he was about to close the doors.

“Good night, Kuroko. I’ll be here if you need anything,” as much as he wanted Kuroko to sleep in the same room as he was, he did want to make Kuroko sleeping on the hard floor or squishing with him on his single bed.

Kagami never thought about the dream ever since he seemed to having less and less of them lately. Most of the time, it was just snapshots of Junben accompanying Nobutsuka to places or doing errands for his clan, something that seemed insignificant. He had no idea that the dream that night was going to haunt him for a long time.

_“Please stay still, Junben-kun,” Junben had no idea why he was agreeing to this. Apparently, Nobutsuka invited an artist who used to study the art of painting from the Western land. They had a completely different stay of art compare to their homeland. The style required both him and Nobutsuka to stay completely still so that they could paint their body on a canvas. Junben could sit down for hours to spy on his enemies because at least he was doing something. But this was completely different; he stood there doing **nothing**  for hours now._

_“I really need a break Nobutsuka.”_

_“You can hide from enemies for at least half a day Junben-kun.”_

_“This is different!” he pouted which caused Nobutsuka to give him a small smile. He was really enjoying this alright. The artist that was paining them seemed to see how frustrated Junben had become and called out that they could go now that he got the important parts. Junben gave out a long satisfied sigh as he was finally moving again. If he had to stand there for another hour, he would start to drown himself in insanity._

_“So did you accept it?” Nobutsuka appeared by his side again which made him jumped a bit. He didn’t need to ask Nobutsuka what he was asking about._

_“I am still thinking about it.”_

_“You mean that you are still doubting yourself whether you would be a great leader or not,” the head of Muruto clan stated that he would not last long with his pending illness and old wounds. He wanted Junben to take the title as the next clan leader. Junben was well respected by the members of both clans and he had a tight relationship with Nobutsuka, the current head of Matsudira. It was only fitting that he should be the next head of clan. Still, Junben was still indecisive. He could lead a team, a battalion perhaps, but not a clan._

_“I’m not a leader Nobutsuka, I am a warrior. I can’t sit down and deal with idiots or writing poetry to please other people.”_

_“Is that what you thought I am doing daily?” he gave Nobutsuka a small nodded which earned him a hard jab to his side. Nobutsuka’s arms were as good as ever with his constant practice._

_“Despite what you may think Junben-kun, I think that you are the perfect candidate for this job,” Junben couldn’t fathom what Nobutsuka or the other elders saw in him that made them trust him so much. He would go to hell and back for them, he never doubted that but was he really enough for the head of the clan?_

_“Why though? I don’t see myself as a capable leader at all,” Nobutsuka looked at him quizzically. He cupped Junben’s face gently and smiled. The warmth radiated from his hands made Junben’s cheek redden._

_“That’s because-”_

_“Nobutsuka-sama!” a voice caught them by surprised and Nobutsuka withdrew the palms back instantly. A retainer rushed towards them, looking as if he was running away from something terrifying more than death itself._

_“Nobutsuka-sama,” he said through his panting, “There is an unknown group of hostiles attacking us from the west side of the mansion. We had no idea how they got past our guards but you need to evacuate immediately sir!”_

_Attacks were rare to them ever since the Matsudira and Muruto made it clear that they desire no more fights with any other clans. This must be their old enemies that held deep grudge. Junben looked at Nobutsuka who didn’t seem to budge at all after hearing the warning._

_“Junben-kun, please see the evacuation of non-combatants servants, women and children. Get all the trainees and new recruits to safety. They cannot fight with these hostiles. I will lead the others to fight them,” he couldn’t believe that this idiot would run straight into the enemy grasp instead of evacuating like his retainer suggested._

_“Nobutsuka! You-”_

_“My people are fighting out there Junben-kun! I am their leader. I need to be there and protect them,” **and you**  was left unsaid. Junben knew it right away from the look in Nobutsuka’s eyes. Was this what a leader supposed to be like? Not leading but also protecting his followers?_

_“Trust me. This is not my first time fighting so please. Do as I said,” Junben couldn’t even argue back as Nobutsuka ran to the armoury to get his weapons. He retainer looked as worried as he did but there was nothing that they could do. When Nobutsuka decided to do something, no one could stop him._

_Junben rushed through the panicking crowd and diverted them to the exit that was the opposite side of the attack site. He tried to get some of the trainees to handle small job such as directing people to the right way and helping those who couldn’t move well. A wave of injured soldiers came in a few minutes later which he get some of the servants who was still capable to thinking clearly to help them carrying the wounded to the safe area and get one of the retainer to fetch healers for them._

_Something about the wounded made him felt uneasy. While many of them suffered from large long gash from the sword, there were some that got small puncture that didn’t seemed to come from a senbon[2]. It was far larger in size and sometimes, the hole went all the way through the body. This wasn’t an ordinary weapon that samurai would use._

_He told his most trusted apprentice to handle the situation as he ran towards the fighting site. He needed to be there with Nobutsuka, protecting him. Nobutsuka could punish him later for this but if something were to happen to Nobutsuka, he would punish himself for the rest of his life._

_The coppery smell of blood hit his nose as he started to cross bodies littering across the hall. Most of them belonged to their intruders although the number of their lost was also great. He almost slipped on a puddle of blood as he walked through the trail of destruction. He reached the battleground where he saw nothing a huge crowd of soldiers clashing their swords. Everything was a huge mess, he couldn’t even identify which side was winning. Most of all, he couldn’t find Nobutsuka in the middle of this madness._

_“Nobutsuka!” he screamed as he drew out his sword and cut down the nearest enemy, slicing his neck opened with one sweep cut. He ducked another incoming swing of an enemy that rushed towards him and plunged the sword into the stomach of his assailant. He kept on falling the enemy down one by one and at the same time, calling out to the name of his lover. Hoping that in the middle of the chorus of metal crashing each other, Nobutsuka would hear him._

_It went on for longer than he could remember but then he could see that most of the enemy was down as the crowd was cleared. There were a few stubborn ones left that he ordered the men to capture them for interrogation later. These men that attacked them were well trained enough for them to be able to sneak into their stronghold. However, Junben and Nobutsuka trained theirs better and they were strong enough to hold off the attack._

_“Junben-kun,” Nobutsuka’s voice came from afar which made his head turned towards the direction if came from. He could see it now, a wisp of stark white hair that smeared with blood of their enemies. He would have to help Nobutsuka washed them off again after this. Nobutsuka seemed to look fine and unharmed. There were some scratches of course but he looked fine. Nobutsuka seemed to be relieved too when he saw Junben, too, unharmed._

_“We should get back. Separate the body of our men from others. See if there was any survivors,” Nobutsuka started to give out orders as soon as he knew that Junben was safe. Junben scanned the aftermath of the battlefield with disgust. Who were attacking them? They had no quarrel with other clans for years!_

_A glint of metal reflection caught his eye. Junben looked at the source of that light that seemed to hurt his eyes. He saw something long and black in a shape of a hollow tube sticking out of the wall behind them. He had some idea what it was, a weapon that came from the west, some kind of projectile that nothing could block. And it was aiming at Nobutsuka._

_“Nobutsuka!” he screamed as he tried to reach towards his lover who had no idea that someone was aiming the projectile at him. Nobutsuka locked his eye with him as he outstretched his hands towards Nobutsuka, trying to reach him and pulled him away from that unknown weapon line of fire._

_The sound of something loud hit his ear. His hand was just inches away from Nobutsuka_

_He could see a surprise look on Nobutsuka’s face as he stopped in motion. Nobutsuka’s eyes slowly went down to his stomach. There was a patch of red that Junben didn’t see it before that sound was heard. It was starting to spread on Nobutsuka’s clothes._

_“J-Junben-kun,” Nobutsuka gasped as his hand reached out for Junben. His legs buckled and fall forwards for Junben to catch him.  The fall jerked the hair clip from Nobutsuka’s messy hair as Nobutsuka started to breathe laboured breathes. Nobutsuka cradled his lover in his arms and cupped his face, trying to calm him down but it was doing them no good as Nobutsuka started to cough blood as he struggled to breath._

_He didn’t even pay attention to a group of his soldiers that managed to drag the hidden gunner out and beheaded him in rage of hurting their master. He could pay attention to the violence and the cries of revenge in the background when his world was collapsing before him. Nobutsuka was hurt and possibly dying right here in his arms._

_“Nobutsuka…” he whispered as he tried to stop the bleeding. The bright blue eyes that filled with pain were still looking at him when they were closing._

_At that moment, he didn’t see Nobutsuka, he also saw another person in his arms. He shouted from the top of his lungs as if he tried to wake himself up from this nightmare._

_“Kuroko!”_

* * *

“Kuroko!” Kagami darted from his sleeping bed up to a sitting position in one big swoop. His head was spinning from the sudden change in blood pressure and he sudden felt nausea. He was back in his bedroom and no in the middle of a war zone. There was no coppery smell of blood (although Kagami could almost taste it from his memory) and he was alone. His back, face and hand were covered in sweat. He had to turn on the light to make sure that the stickiness on his hand was the sweat and not blood.

“Kuroko,” Kagami whispered again when he thought back about his dream. For a good moment there, the person dying there wasn’t Nobutsuka but Kuroko. It made his heart sink to some kind of abyss in his body. The image of Kuroko dying was enough to make his heart stop beating. He rushed out of his room to the guest room where Kuroko was sleeping. It didn’t make sense. Why was he this worried when he knew that it was just something he dreamt and it couldn’t be real?

He slowly opened the door to see a mop of baby blue hair. He got in as quietly as he could and tiptoed towards the bed. Kuroko was sleeping soundly, peacefully, with no blood or wound or anything else that came from his dream. Kagami couldn’t sigh in relief because there was no way he could shake off that terrifying image even if he knew that Kuroko was safe. What in the world made him dreamt of that?!

“…Ka…gami-…kun?” a sleepy sound of Kuroko interrupted him from his inner mind. Did he just wake Kuroko up? Just how careless was he!? And how was he going to explain the reason he got into Kuroko’s room.

“Ah…K-Kuroko…I’m sorry. I’m really sorry,” he blurt out quickly. He couldn’t think of anything to say to his boyfriend, “I-I just…want to see if you’re okay. I’m…sorry that I woke you up.”

Kuroko was silent. He didn’t know if that was because he was sleepy or because he didn’t believe of the excuse Kagami came up with.

“I…kinda have this weird dream…and I just want to know that you are okay,” he finally admitted it because he didn’t want Kuroko to stay awake to remember what happen any longer, “I’ll return to my room now, sorry for-“

“Kagami-kun, please share the bed with me.”

He almost tipped over with that comment. What did Kuroko just said again?

“Kuroko?”

“Share the bed with me Kagami-kun. It’s quite big for a single bed so I think that it’s fine,” normally, wouldn’t Kuroko say something along the line of him being a kid that couldn’t sleep after having a bad dream or something? This caught Kagami by surprise.

“Are you sure?”

“Kagami-kun probably couldn’t sleep if you sleep alone right now. So please,” Kagami couldn’t argue back because that was probably true. He didn’t feel like sleeping when he just saw that but perhaps, with Kuroko near, it would drove those images away when he closed his eyes.

He slid into the space near Kuroko and covered himself with the duvet. Kuroko moved himself closer to Kagami and drape his arm over Kagami’s torso. His head fell into the space underneath Kagami’s chin like a jigsaw puzzle the fit perfectly into the other piece. Kagami did the same and hold Kuroko tight. His hand unconsciously went over the place where Nobutsuka’s bullet wound was and that was when he closed his eyes.

“It’s okay now,” he could here Kuroko muttered as he was lulled to sleep by the warmth that felt so alike to Nobutsuka’s warm hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Tonkatsu: deep fried pork cutlet
> 
> 2) senbon: a needle that ninja used. Sometimes used for acupuncture.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami finally knew who were Muruto Junben and Matsudira Nobutsuka.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is the last chapter before one long ass epilogue. I knew that the Epilogue will be long from the estimation of my plan haha. I forgot to write in the notes of the last chapter that Fujimaki-sensei mentioned that Kuroko lived with his parents and his grandmother. He got this calm personality from his father and his lack of presence from his mother. He’s revealed to be quite close to his grandmother who often made him bento during his elementary school.

When morning came, Kagami woke up with Kuroko still in arms. Kuroko was actually a deep sleeper. He barely twitch in his sleep or woke up to loud sounds. There were occasions where he caught Kuroko sleeping in the class despite the loud noises in the room. His bed hair was still as bad as ever. Even if he barely moved at all, his hair was still messy and sticking in all directions. He felt a lot better since last night as he hold Kuroko in his arms. The dream frightened him so much. The image of Kuroko lying motionlessly in his arms was something that he never thought of.

He slowly withdrew his arms from Kuroko, trying not to stir him from his sleep. He nuzzled Kuroko’s messy hair one last time before he left to prepare the breakfast for both of them, a simple American style breakfast (with extra eggs and bacon for himself). Kuroko entered the room ten minutes later with his iconic messy hair and a sleepy looking face.

“Good morning Kagami-kun,” he said sleepily. Kagami smiled and replied a ‘Good morning sleepy head back.’

To his surprise, Kuroko didn’t ask a single thing about what happened last night. Kagami had to admit that the snuggling was really nice and he enjoyed it very much. They ate the breakfast together with Kuroko commenting that Kagami’s simple breakfast tasted really nice. Kagami had to admit that he didn’t do anything special at all.

They took a shower and continued their Japanese lesson until late evening where he walked Kuroko back to his home. Kuroko said that he could walk home by himself because it wasn’t that late yet but Kagami wouldn’t let him, not after what he dreamt last night. He needed to make sure that Kuroko would be safe, at least for today. Kagami couldn’t help but wondered if he was too paranoid. They weren’t in the ancient Edo period where the street wasn’t that safe anymore. Kuroko’s neighbourhood was nothing but peaceful too. Kuroko even commented that it was unnecessary and that Kagami would be wasting his time because they both needed to pack for their things for the Japanese History trip. Still, Kagami felt the need to make sure that Kuroko would be safe for today, at least for his peace of mind.  

The trip to Sendai was a merry one, at least for the journey there. Kagami wasn’t looking forward to the educational part since he was never interested in Japanese History anyway. They were just going to walk into a museum or two and then visited some old castles for three whole days. He liked the train ride to the countryside more. It was like one of those times where he took a road trip with Himuro and Alex to California for the beaches. That was when he learned surfing too.

Kagami sat with Kuroko on the train where they shared their bento together. Kagami did a stir fried squid in XO sauce and a couple of egg rolls. Kuroko had a set of very traditional looking bento set which he said that his grandmother prepared it for him. Apparently, some Kuroko’s grandmother was a chef in her younger days and that was why she sometimes cooked for her grandson and prepared him bento. Kuroko shared him a _Ganmodoki_ which he never tasted before and he let Kuroko took a bit of his squid.

“I think that Kagami-kun should quit basketball and joined the Cooking Club instead,” Kuroko said jokingly even if what came out didn’t sounded a like a joke, at least for the others. But Kagami knew it better because he knew Kuroko. The only club that Kuroko really wish that Kagami was in would always be basketball where he could be the light to his shadow.

The rest of the journey was not very eventful as Kuroko read his light novels and Kagami listened to his music. Kagami trailed his hand over the small space between their seats and clasped it over Kuroko’s free hand. Even if they weren’t look at each other or talked to each other, Kagami knew that Kuroko was smiling. An hour after the train ride, Kuroko fell asleep with his head on Kagami’s shoulder. Kagami turned his head a little to kiss the messy hair of his boyfriend and properly put a bookmark in his novel for him. He didn’t fell asleep though; someone needed to wake Kuroko up for their stop.

It wasn’t until about half an hour later that they reached their destination which was something that Kagami really didn’t forward to. Kuroko woke up with a slightly messy hair although not as much as when he was sleeping on bed. According to Kuroko, his hair charged up static charges quite well and that was why his hair stuck out easily. It was also the reason why he didn’t like people playing with his hair that much because his hair got messy pretty easily although he never complained when Kagami did it.

The other first years, Furihata, Kawahara and Fukuda, stuck with them as they followed the crowd of students to each of the historical places. Kagami really wanted to put his headphones back on because all the talking about samurais, battles, royalties and many other things just bored him. He didn’t care about what happen in the past because it should just stay in the past. If it wasn’t Kuroko who tucked on his sleeves for him to walk on, Kagami would have fell asleep standing up. Screw classical music, lectures were the best sleeping remedy. All the time, he told Kuroko to just stay close to him. The teacher would not count Kuroko, he never did. So it was Kagami’s job to make sure that Kuroko was with him and that they didn’t fall behind.

Kagami gave himself one big yawn as they were about to exit the last museum of their first day. He was just so glad that they finally leaving for the hotel. There were a couple of more pictures for the tour guide to explain before they would reach the exit which opened to Kagami like a gate from heaven.

“And to our last one. Although these two samurais wasn’t mention at all in most of the history textbook, they were important in this particular town. From the look of your faces, I can see that none of you seem to notice them which are to be expected,” Kagami wasn’t even looking at the picture. He just started at the exit as if he was trying to drag it in.

 “These two are Matsudira Nobutsuka and Muruto Junben, the two samurais that established an orphanage which later became the centre for children welfare centre of this town.”

Kagami wondered if he did actually fell asleep because he never heard someone said those names when he was awake. He only heard them in his dreams. He slowly turned his head to meet the picture the tour guide motioned to and it confirmed what he never thought could be possible. The two people starring back at him were indeed the same Nobutsuka and Junben in his dream. Even with the faded colour, he could see the blue eyes that made his gut twisted as he remembered his latest dream. Junben had the same fiery red hair and a scar on his nose just like he remembered too. This picture, he saw it before.

The tour guide continued his explanation, “You might noticed that this picture was painted in a very different style. Most Edo period arts were flat and in a printing style this one was painted-”

“By the artist that learned traditional arts from Western country,” Kagami said exactly at the same time as the tour guide although it was more to himself. Kuroko looked at Kagami with a surprised looked. Hell, all the first year looked at him with the same surprised expression as Kuroko. Kagami Taiga who was never interested in Japanese History, who never got a higher mark than average scores on the same subject just said something that the whole class didn’t know.

“Wow young man, what a great perception you have there! We got this picture from the orphanage where they wanted to keep it at a safer place. These two clans, the Muruto and Matsudira clan started off as rivals before they ended their long fighting with a peace treaty proposed by Matsudira Nobutsuka. Muruto Junben was entrusted to him and became his right hand man. I think there were a few records that mentioned about these two being close friends before they were separated too,” Kagami was seeing the scenes from his dream played over in his head instead as he the words that the tour guide spoke. All of it matched with what he said. Junben and Nobutsuka were real. They were real people who were once alive. Kagami felt as if his world just turned inside out and feeling like fainting. Did he just dream about someone he never knew before? Was he some kind of a seer? How did this happen anyway!? He never knew about these two, never thought that they actually exist until he came here.

“Kagami-kun?” he could feel Kuroko’s hand in his own. Kuroko cast a worried gaze over him, “Kagami-kun you looked pale. Are you alright? Do you want me to tell the teachers?”

“No, I just felt a bit tired that’s all. Didn’t have a good sleep last night,” Kagami lied. He didn’t need Kuroko to worry over something that sounded as crazy as his weird dreams. He copped with it alone as long as he could remembered. He gave Kuroko a quick squeeze in a reassurance.

“Unfortunately, Matsudira Nobutsuka didn’t live long. He died young when another clan came and attacked his mansion. He was shot and even with the medical attention, he died a week after that,” Kagmai cringed at that last input. He could still remember the feeling of Nobutsuka’s blood on his hand or more specifically, Junben’s hand. Nobutsuka was actually alive for one week after he was shot. He must have died one slow and painful death and Kagami bet that in that one week, Junben must be there at his side the whole time.

“Sir what happened to Junben?” one of the students asked the tour guide. Kagami was a bit curious too. He never knew what happened to Junben after that. Did he become the leader of the Muruto clan just like Nobutsuka suggested? Or did he lose all the passion in his duty after he lost Nobutsuka?

“We knew that Muruto Junben became the head of the clan and continued Nobutsuka’s work on children support. The orphanage that he and Nobutsuka built together was rebuilt so that it could house more children. He was a good leader that helped defending this village and kept the neighbourhood peaceful for a very long period. According to the records, he lived a pretty long life although he was never married or had any children. He did, however, adopt a few orphans. It’s a shame that the Muruto and Matsudira’s mansions were no longer around. A few years after the death of Junben, they were attacked again and the mansions were burnt down.”

So Junben did become the head of the clan after all. It must have been a lonely for him as well, to be the leader without Nobutsuka by his side. They might not achieve the dream of creating a world without orphans like they wanted to but their contribution did change a lot of things.

“Whoa, I just noticed something,” Fukuda exclaimed from behind and grabbed on to Kagami’s shoulder, “Kagami, Kuroko, can you two please turn around?”

Kagami didn’t even have the time to reply when he and Kuroko was spun around by Fukuda. The other first years looked at them with wide eyes.

“Whoa, you two looked exactly like them!” there were murmured of other students as Kagami looked around. Damn, he never felt so naked with so many people trying to scrutinize his face. He knew that Kuroko must be uncomfortable too with so many people staring at him. This felt entirely different from the audience in basketball court.

“Ah, it’s just a coincidence! I-I mean, he wasn’t married to any women right? And Nobutsuka died young too so…” Kagami tried to say something, at least for them to stop looking at him so closely.

“Yes, the children he adopted had no relations to his blood family since Junben was also an orphan. Nobutsuka was an orphan too. Even if there was a relative, it should be a distance one,” a sigh came out of his mouth as everyone seemed to move on. He looked at the picture on the wall one final time before left with Kuroko beside him.

Just what on earth is going on?

* * *

The hotel was a god sent for Kagami. They even have individual bathrooms for each room (he didn’t want to take turns in the common bathroom ever again). Kuroko insisted that Kagami should sleep immediately now that he had a chance which Kagami assured that he would but after dinner. Perhaps it was a bad choice to lie to Kuroko after all. He didn’t mean to make him worried at all.

He just couldn’t stop thinking about the revelation today. This wasn’t just one crazy coincidence. Were this perhaps Junben and Nobutsuka trying to communicate to him? Kagami shuddered at the thought. Were they haunting him or something? Why him?! Like he could help both of them he was just a normal guy trying to play basketball! No, this began before he could even remember. What did Nobutsuka and Junben wanted from him?

“Kagami-kun, you should get rest soon,” Kuroko reminded him, “You seemed to be staring into a distance a lot today, are you sure that you aren’t sick? I can tell the teacher to let you stay in the hotel for tomorrow.”

“No, I’m fine. I’m just trying to sink in that someone from hundreds of years ago looked like me,” that wasn’t a lie. At least Kuroko would understand that seeing someone who looked exactly like you but happened to live in another lifetime was something you wouldn’t experience every day.

“I think that sometimes coincidence happened for a reason. Please rest well Kagami-kun,” Kuroko walked over his bed and sat beside him. He cupped one of his hands on Kagami’s cheek and leaned in to kiss Kagami on his forehead.

“Sorry for worrying you Kuroko. But I will be fine, trust me,” he touched Kuroko’s hand and brought it over his mouth to kiss it gently, “You should rest too.”

“Good night Kagami-kun,” they gave each other one final kissed before both headed to their own separate beds. Kuroko fell asleep as soon as the lights went off. Kagami turned to his side to watch Kuroko’s peaceful sleeping form. He seemed to have a good night sleep. But it wasn’t a good night for Kagami.

* * *

_“It’s going to get worst Junben-sama,” the healer told him and Junben gritted his teeth in frustration. Nobutsuka’s pale face was now stark white just like the colour of his hair that lost its usual shine. Sweat beads glistening upon his skin and his face was gaunt and hollow. Strand of his hair stick on his moist skin and his breath of laboured. This wasn’t the Nobutsuka everyone remembered. This was a dying man._

_“He was bleeding from inside. I cannot stop it. And his blood seemed to be poisoned by it. That was why he was running a fever. Can you get him to drink something?” Junben shook his head. Nobutsuka would throw up even if it was just water. His lover was dying and there wasn’t a thing that he could do to help._

_“Was there really nothing that we could do?” Junben could only torture himself by staying with Nobutsuka and watched as he slowly started to slip away day by day._

_“I am sorry Junben-sama. I couldn’t…”_

_“You did what you could. Thank you,” the healer bowed to him and left. Junben punched the floor in anger. They one who couldn’t do anything was him. He couldn’t save Nobutsuka in time. He couldn’t ease Nobutsuka’s pain. He couldn’t stop his lover from dying and all he could do was standing by his side to watch him withered away slowly. Tears of anger dripped from his cheek to the floor. How was he supposed to be a leader if he couldn’t save the one that mattered to him the most?_

_He saw many wounds before. Most of the men that got the same wound from the battle were dead. The surviving ones where hit in non-vital places. That western weapon was deadly and scary. It seemed to be able to penetrate through some of their armours too. How were they going to defend themselves from something that could destroy even the strongest shield?_

_“Junben…kun,” a hoarse voice of Nobutsuka beckoning to him. Junben rushed to Nobutsuka’s side and knelt down beside where he laid._

_“Nobutsuka…do you need anything? Water? Perhaps some broth if you think you can hold down?” Nobutsuka managed to open only a bit of his eyes and looked at Junben as if he was about to fall asleep again. Nobutsuka did nothing but sleep recently. Junben knew that Nobutsuka would never wake up again anytime._

_“No. I just heard you cry. Don’t cry Junben-kun,” Nobutsuka, the selfless Nobutsuka was still worried about Junben even when it was him that was dying._

_“I’m sorry Nobutsuka. I just…” he reached out and brushed the strand that was close to Nobutsuka’s eye away and leaned down to kiss on his lips. It was colder than he remembered. The lips were parched and split because Nobutsuka couldn’t drink much water. The pink shade disappeared long time ago. It was replaced by a purplish tone that was so foreign to Junben’s eyes._

_“Junben-kun,” Nobutsuka reached for his hand. There was barely any strength left in those gripped. Junben missed all those jabs that Nobutsuka used to do because now his ribs hurt so much more that._

_“Please take me to the garden.”_

_“Nobutsuka, you need to-”_

_“Please take me there…the air is suffocating here,” he couldn’t deny him. Not with the pleading look that Nobutsuka was giving him. Tears dropped from his eyes onto Nobutsuka’s face.Nobutsuka reached out to his face and wiped the tears with his shaky hands._

_“Please…”_

_Junben nodded his head and hold on to Nobutsuka before lifting him up in a bridal style. Nobutsuka’s head was resting on his shoulders and napped as he was making his way to their garden. He was so light, Junben thought. He was way lighter than he remembered. He remembered carrying Nobutsuka when they were little too. Perhaps this would be the last time._

_“We’re here,” he laid Nobutsuka by his lap and let his chest and arm support his lover. Junben didn’t know if he should wake the man. He knew that Nobutsuka needed to rest but what would a rest do? Holding out his death?_

_Nobutsuka slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He looked a bit happy, or as happy as a dying man could be, “Thank you Junben-kun.”_

_They did nothing but staring into the tranquil scenery before them. No one said a word. Junben held Nobutsuka’s hand with his free one and buried his face into his lover’s hair. The black clip was long gone. He didn’t know how long they stayed like that but he wasn’t going to move. Perhaps Junben knew that this was it. This was going to be the day where he was going to lose the person that was the most important to him. He could feel Nobutsuka’s soul slipping away from his arms even as he held him close._

_“Junben-kun,” Nobutsuka’s voice was a little steadier than when he spoke in the room. Junben looked down to his lover’s face. He still looked as sick as ever but there was something else in it. The eyes that were so dull during these past few days seemed to sparkle with life, even if it was just the last spark that Nobutsuka could muster._

_“What is it Nobutsuka?” it was his voice that was shaking instead. He couldn’t hold back the tremor and the fear. He was so scared of what was going to happen. What was he supposed to do?_

_“Thank you,” and then Nobutsuka smiled. It looked exactly the same when Nobutsuka smiled to him even with that sickly face. Nothing could shine brighter than Nobutsuka’s smile. But why was he smiling? Why was he thanking him at all when Nobutsuka was at death’s door?_

_“No, Nobutsuka. I failed you. I couldn’t protect you and now I am going to lose you forever,” Junben let it all out. Of all the failures in his life, there was nothing that hurt him more than this, “I am not strong enough to save you.”_

_Nobutsuka rested his hand on his cheek. His touch was so gentle, so soft that Junben only wanted to cry even harder._

_“You’re always there for me. Ever since the beginning, you never fail me. In the darkest time, you are the light that guides me. You saved me countless time Junben-kun.”_

_“But not this time,” this time he failed and Nobutsuka was his price._

_“No, you didn’t. I did. I failed you for leaving you,” Junben thought that their conversation wouldn’t get any worst, Nobutsuka was crying too. He touched that hand that on his cheek. Nobutsuka was blaming himself for what happened just as much as he did._

_“I am leaving you here alone and I caused you so much pain. I am so sorry Junben-kun.”_

_Junben touched his forehead with Nobutsuka and ushered him to stop talking nonsense. He stroke Nobutsuka’s head softly and said that it was going to be alright._

_“But don’t worry. I am sure that I will see you again. I will be waiting for you…so please don’t hurry too much,” Junben knew what he meant by it. He wanted Junben to live and take the title he was meant to, the title that Junben doubted that he could live up to people’s expectation._

_“I know that you are going to be a great leader. You are kind, Junben-kun. Far kinder than you thought you are. And you inspired so many people around you. People would love you and they would follow you till the end. I know that you would make all of us proud. I know that I will be,” Nobutsuka let out a small cough and his breath became even shallower than a few minutes ago. The time was close and Junben was just so scared._

_“I will find you,” he finally said it, “Where ever you are I will find you and made you fell in love with me again. But before that, I promise you that I will take care of our clans. And then I will find you Nobutsuka.”_

_“I know you will Junben-kun. After all, you are my light.”_

_They kissed again, for the final time. Junben could tell that it would be the last one. And just like the star that glowed the brightest before it went out, Junben felt Nobutsuka last breath as he parted the kiss. He couldn’t feel the breath from his lover or the small weak heartbeat from his chest anymore. Junben screamed Nobutsuka’s name as he clutched the body of his dead lover. Nobutsuka was gone, going somewhere he couldn’t reach._

_Matsudira Nobutsuka died on the last day of summer. His summer blue eyes closed with Junben being the last thing that he saw. He entrusted the hope and dreams of his clan with the man he loved the most. But it wasn’t the end for Nobutsuka or Junben. At least that was what both of them believed._

* * *

Kagami woke up silently in the middle of the night. He looked around himself to make sure that he wasn’t in that garden. He was back in the hotel at night again which was a great relief. Something slipped from the corner of his eyes. Kagami touched the side of his face to discover that it was wet. He was…crying? Since when did he cry?

Kagami got up to sitting position and wipe his face but he tears just kept coming out. Eventually he began to shake and broke down into a sob. He didn’t know why just he was just being washed over by a feeling of total sadness and helplessness. It seemed that whatever Junben was feeling passed down to him from the dream. It happened before but this one just completely overwhelming him.

“Kagami-kun?” Kagami turned to see Kuroko awake. Even with the moonlight that managed to slip through a tiny gap of the curtain as their only source of light, Kagami could see how worried Kuroko was.

“Oh, Kuroko. Do you need anything?” his voice definitely sounded so weird with the fluid blocking his nasal and his throat itched from the crying. He tried to wipe the tears even though he knew that it was too late for that. Kuroko already seen it.

“No. I just heard you crying. Are you okay Kagami-kun,” Kuroko got up from his bed and came over to Kagami’s. He felt like a little child with Kuroko taking care of his like this. It was like he just had one messed up nightmare and Kuroko was the one that came to comfort him.

“Sorry Kuroko. I just…” he wiped the incoming tears with the back of his hand again. Kuroko pulled out a couple of tissue papers from the night stand and pressed it into Kagami’s hand.

“Sorry, I just had a pretty disturbing dream and I…”

“Do you want to talk about it?” he never talked to anyone about it. Not even his parents, not even Himuro or Alex. He was going to sound like a mad man if he told anyone about it. But Kuroko was giving that look. That pleading look that made his heart constricted when it reminded him of Nobutsuka’s dying look. How could he refuse to him?

“It’s going to sound like I am crazy or childish Kuroko. Are you sure that you wanted to listen to it?”

Kuroko’s face looked as determine as when he was on the court. He rubbed Kagami’s back in reassurance.  “Something that made Kagami-kun so upset should never be dismissed. You were always there for me so please. Let me be there for you too.”

Kagami cleared his throat and thought about how he should start. It wasn’t something that he could make Kuroko understand with just a normal explanation. He needed to start from the beginning, when he realised that he had these dreams.

“Ever since I was little, I had these…weird dreams. I was living another life in another time. There are two people I always dreamt about,” he told something that he never told anyone before in his life. And Kuroko just sat there beside him, listening to patiently, so carefully. All the time, he would either hold his hand, a gesture of support that helped him keep going. He told Kuroko every significant dream that he had and how shocked he was to discover that Junben and Nobutsuka were actually historical figure.

"And just a while ago, I dreamt about how Nobutsuka died, the actually moment he passed away. Now you probably think that I am crazy and-” Kagami didn’t get the opportunity to continue because Kuroko crushed him with one big hug.

“Kagami-kun…it must have been so hard, dealing with these things alone.”

“Kuroko?” Kagami couldn’t react properly. Kuroko didn’t berate him, didn’t tell him that he was crazy. He tried to comfort him from dealing with these problems alone.

“I am glad that you decided to tell me, Kagami-kun. Never hide these things from me okay? I would never make fun of you for something like this Kagami-kun,” it actually hit him hard that he didn’t trust Kuroko enough to tell him about this before. Kagami felt the trembling in his body stopped. The tears stopped forming in his eyes. He was staring into those bright blue eyes again. This time, he wasn’t haunted by the image of dying Nobutsuka anymore.

“Thank you, Kuroko. I should have told you long ago.”

“You did now and that’s all it matters,” he stayed like that, letting Kuroko hugged him for a long time. They both decided to sleep on the same bed again because Kuroko convinced that it felt better than sleeping in the separate bed. The tiny spaces on the single bed made him snuggled even closer to each other.

“Kuroko…”Kagami called out before he was about to close his tired eyes that was still puffy red from crying, “Do you think that they are together now? Nobutsuka and Junben, I mean.”

Kuroko was silent for a while, like he was thinking hard about it before buried his head into that space under Kagami’s chin, “I think that they are together and even if they aren’t, I think that will eventually found each other soon.”  

“Thank you Kuroko…” Kagami finally closed his eyes but he didn’t fell asleep yet. He just never felt this peaceful in his sleep. It felt as if he finally let go all the feeling he had about Junben and Nobutsuka. Kuroko helped him a lot with that. He thought that everything was done until Kuroko spoke up again.

“Tetsuya.”

“….Kuroko?”

“Please call me Tetsuya.”

“Only if you call me Taiga.”

Kuroko gave him a small yes before he drift into his slumber. Kagami followed him not long after. It was one emotional night for him and he just needed the sleep. He was a bit surprise to see Nobutsuka and Junben again in his dream. This time it was different. Usually, the scenes in his dream played as if it was a part of his memories. This time, it was a  _dream._ Something that he was sure never happened before. Nobutsuka was waiting for Junben in the middle of a field. The sky was bright summer blue like the colour of his eyes. They walked up to each other and embrace.

“I finally found you,” Junben said.

“I know that you will find me,” Nobutsuka replied.

He couldn’t remember what happened after that. It was a bit weird really because he usually remembered them. But he could felt the warmth of another person in his embrace all along the time that he dreamt.

That was the last time Kagami ever dreamt about Nobutsuka and Junben.

_The end of summer_

_When the summer ends, I just want to see you_

_Because the same wind will go by as it did back then_

-         _Natsu no Owari by Moriyama Naotaro_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is the song that inspired me this story. It was a really nice song so please give it a try


	14. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second year started. New members, new team and new things to look forward to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: First of all, thank you for following this story till the end. This is the longest fic I had ever written. Thank you for the likes, kudos, comment, bookmarks and everything. I probably took a break from writing fic for a while but not for too long. Just enough so that I can plan for the next one. This chapter would be written from the perspective of 2 OCs. I am sorry if it seemed a bit OC centric or Seirin centric (I really love Seirin-centric fics okay) but that’s because I consider a lot about Seirin’s direction after Winter Cup. They would need a lot of new members to fill in their missing power. Other school has many powerful bench players while Seirin has only a few. Please bear with my OCs I promise they won’t be much of a trouble :).
> 
> Note: I will write Japanese name in Japanese way which is surname first and given name second. For OC, I use first names for them because it’s easier for me to write (their surnames are LONG).

Shimabukuro Kazuya had to admit that the reason that he chose Seirin was because he was completely blown away by their final match in the Winter Cup. He and his childhood friend, Nishimura Naoto, once had a big discussion about the two teams before the actual match.

“No way they were going to win,” Naoto said, “Rakuzan held the most record and it’s obvious that the school is pretty invested in the sport. Seirin doesn’t even have the facility for the team.”

At first, he agreed. Seirin just formed over a year ago. The school only has first and second year. Their sport teams consisted of new coaches and some had none (he remembered that Seirin had a high school student as their coach). So when Seirin won in the final, both of them could only stared at the picture of Seirin glomping each other as they cried tears of joy. It made him thought back about his latest matches. Shouei didn’t make it pass the semi-final of middle school tournament. Hell, he didn’t even get to play. Watching Naoto slamming his fist to the ground as their team lost. Maybe if they tried harder, perhaps they would have achieved the same thing as Seirin.

Kazuya was a bench warmer ever since he started to play basketball on his first year as a member of the team. He was an average player with no special skills that made him stand out in any way. He could shoot a simple layup and simple passes but that was it. Compared to Naoto, who could do all kinds of trick shot, he was just some insignificant player. He knew that whichever school he chose, he would always be that same bench warmer.

While Kazuya mused about his past, his childhood friend had a different plan. Naoto had another plan. He looked into the future. One day, Naoto barged into the room as he filled out the applicant form for Shinkyo and flung an application form for Seirin onto his desk.

“Come with me to Seirin,” Naota said. It wasn’t a plea, he didn’t even ask him.

“You know they aren’t going to let me play,” not when they just won the Winter Cup and probably gained even more wonderful players. Why would a normal player like him with no talents want to join the school? Naota would fit in there like a jigsaw puzzle. He belonged to the team with talented players.

“Just come with me will you? It’s close to the station and I hate taking public buses,” he said no at first of course. That was until Naota kept bugging him for weeks and even told his parents about it but he still insisted on his words. No one could convince him. On the morning of the final day that Seirin accept the application form, Kazuya turned on his TV to see the rerun of the Winter Cup final match. He watched Seirin’s match again. The team that just formed for two years actually won the team that belonged to the school with highest winning records. How was that even possible? No wonder the magazine dubbed them as the “Miraculous New Star” and the “Dark Horse” of the tournament.

That was when Kazuya thought about himself. Would there will a day where someone that seemed too ordinary like him to shine so bright like Seirin? What was Seirin’s secret in being so successful despite being so young and inexperienced? He wanted to know their secrets. He wanted to know how they do it and if they could help him. For once, he wanted to be like the others or more exactly, like Naoto. He wanted to be useful to others. As soon as the match ended, Kazuya ran up to his room and fished out the application and filled it before ran to Seirin to submit the form.

Naoto ran straight to the board to find the basketball club desk. Being friends with Naoto since his elementary school, Kazuya still couldn’t keep up with his friend’s energy. The basketball desk already had a small crowd of ten people in front of it including Naota. He recognized some of the seniors helping them filling the applicant (Izuki Shun, the control tower and Koganei Shinji, the team’s jack of all traits).

“Oh there he is!”

“Damn, he’s really tall.”

“Wait I think he said he has a partner? Where is he?”

The first years that were cueing cried when another person walked towards the table. Kazuya turned around to see who it was and gasped. The crimson red hair stood out like the sun. The person who just walked in was the ace of Seirin, Kagami Taiga. Naota’s eyes went wide for a good long while.

“Whoa this is way more people than when I signed up,” he said with a grin. Kazuya remembered seeing it a lot when he looked into the rerun of Seirin’s matches in the past. Kagami’s eyes scanned through the soon to be members of the basketball club with a smile.

“Well, look forward to the mini-game. Give us your best alright?” all the Kohais suddenly straighten up and gave a ‘yes’ in reply. How could they not? Most of them were here because of him. Kagami Taiga became the role models for many young basketball players since the previous years’ Winter Cup. Naoto said once that he really want to try going one-on-one with him.

The conversation was interrupted abruptly by Hyuuga Junpei’s paper fan that smacked him in the head. This person who was going to be their captain was…really scary indeed.

“Idiot! I told you to go and help Mitobe with attracting more members!”

“I did! I just came back to check how many we managed to get!”

“These came here because of me and Izuki! Get your ass to work vice-captain!”

“Y-yes!” Kazuya was confused all of sudden. Didn’t the article in Basketball Monthly say that Izuki Shun was the vice-captain of the team? How come Kagami Taiga was the vice-captain now?

“So he’s the vice-captain too?” he asked Naoto who was in front of him. His friend only gave him a shake because he understood that Izuki-senpai was the vice-captain too.

“Izuki-senpai stepped down because they want Kagami to get used to being a leader. We want to train him so that he could be our captain in the third year,” a voice came from Kazuya’s side which he was pretty sure that there was no one. He was the last of the lines and no one was beside him a minute ago. He quickly turned his head to see a boy with blue hair and eyes staring right at him.

“Wah!!” Kazuya screamed in surprise which also made Naota yelped too.

“What the hell Kazu!”

“I didn’t know he was there!” the boy handed both him and Naoto club admission papers. _He was a member of the club? Then he’s a senpai but_ , Kazuya thought as he took the paper from him. That was until he remembered the picture of Seirin team, the whole team. There was one particular player that Kagami always mentioned in his interview. This person who was one of the team’s phantom regular player and the partner of their ace, Kuroko Tetsuya.

“A-AH! Kuroko-senpai!” Kazuya yelped in recognition. He really had no presence at all just like the rumours. How did the team pass to this guy or know that the ball was coming from him at all? There was no way anyone can detect him on the court let alone play together with him during the high tension game. Just how crazy is Seirin’s teamwork?

“Don’t worry. We are here to help you all. Please don’t forget to fill in your position if you played before and also your decision to join the basketball club. We all really looking forward to play with you,” before Kazuya could spoke again, he vanished away. Just what was Seirin really?

* * *

“Take off your shirts!” the sound produced by 20 new members of the Seirin Basketball Club was absolutely hilarious. Fujimoto Yuuta used to play basketball but he couldn’t play it competitively anymore after he torn his leg ligaments on his second year of middle school. Yuuta thought that he could never participate in the sport he loved ever again. That was when his friend said that he could help with other things. Yuuta became Meiko’s manager on his last year of middle school. Although he might not be as keen as the previous manager, he tried best. Yuuta wanted to apply for Rakuzan but because of his family’s financial problem, he could not. Seirin was his second choice. Even if the school was new, it was built in a very good location. Since it was close to the station, it would help him easing his family’s expenses.

He was brief by the coach earlier about the club. It seemed like a very good club too. Full of people who enjoy basketball like him, who were passionate about sport like him. He could see some of the notable new players already. Sakamoto Kai, a very powerful Centre from Teiko. He became the regular after the Generation of Miracles. Despite the fearsome reputation of Teiko regulars created by the Generation of Miracles, Sakamoto Kai gave a different perspective. He was one of those players that would go up to the other team and complimented how well they played before leaving them. He was the fresh new wind that cleared up the bad air that the precious generation left. Yuuta felt some kind of relief when he knew that Sakamoto was one of them.

Nishimura Naoto, the Shooting Guard from Shouei and the ace of the team back in his middle school. The hot blooded and yet talented player with ridiculous shooting tricks. He saw Naoto doing all kinds of shots during the game whether it was a floater shot, hook shot, power drive, finger roll and many others. He was the kind of shooting guard that relies on abundance techniques. He seemed to be close to another player that was a bench player from the same school, Shimabukuro Kazuya.

Yuuta was noting the things that Coach Aida said while she was analysing each player. She asked him to be her helper in helping her gathering data. It must be hard for her to do two roles at the same time since her first year. They were reaching the last player when a couple of voices burst into the gym, both speaking foreign language.

“ _I’m sorry!_ ”

“ _I fucking said to watch the time difference! You’re lucky that Coach let me wrote the application form for you or else you are dead meat!”_

Being shoved into the gym by Kagami was a foreigner with dark skin with height as tall as Kagami, an exchange students from Seirin’s exchange program with its sister school in America. Kagami redirected the guy who apologized sheepishly in heavy accented Japanese to the members for being late to the end of the line and ordered him to take of his shirts.

“ _Wow Taiga, I didn’t know you guys have this ritual thing for newbies_ ,” he elbowed Kagami-senpai and raised his eyebrows before Kagami slapped him in the back for goofing off.

“ _We are checking your fitness you idiot and stop speaking English with me you are being rude!_ ” Kagami sighed and motioned everyone to the foreign student.

“So this jerk here is Jaden Hayes. He’s the person who invited me to play basketball with his team during my middle school. Apparently, he will be with us for one year unless I decided to ship him home first.”

“Jaden Hayes…” Jaden stopped and quickly turned to ask Kagami ‘ _Oh wait, it’s surname first right?_ ’ which Kagami just rolled his eyes and said that it doesn’t apply to foreigners, “Jaden Hayes. Nice to meet you all. I play Small Forward.”

Coach Aida’s eyes went wide when she saw the toned muscles on Jaden’s body. It was well toned and in a much fitter shape compared to the others. Yuuta might not have the excellent analyser eyes like the Coach but he knew from the first look that Jaden Hayes was not a normal player. And if he used to play with Kagami, his skills must be based on street basketball too.

“ _Hey, Taiga. Where’s your boy-_ ”

“ _You said one more word and I will not help you with the train stations_ ,” Yuuta wasn’t fluent in English so he couldn’t really follow what they said much. They seemed to be good friends or at least the kind that let the other annoys the hell out of the other, a very cheery addition to the team. Just how chaotic would the mini-game be?

Out of the corner of his eye, Yuuta just noticed for the first time that there was someone else standing with the group of senpai who was observing their first year. He never notice the blue haired senpai until now and not because he was paying attention or focusing at him. It was a mere glancing around that made Yuuta noticed him.

“Oi Tetsuya I got you the wristbands. Alex shipped it to me from America. Hope you like it,” Kagami- walked towards the boy and that was when Yuuta realised who this was. This was the phantom sixth man of the generation of miracles and now of Seirin. Kuroko Tetsuya.

Kuroko’s eyes seemed to light up when he saw the wristband. Instead of the usual black colour that Kuroko always wore, this one had a white, red and black strip just like Seirin’s colour. Kuroko unpacked the plastic warps and wore it with a small smile.

“Thank you Taiga-kun. I also got something for you too,” and on cue, the other second year came up to their ace with knee supports. They were black with fiery patterns printed onto it to match the colour of his hair.

“You are going to put a lot of work on your knees and legs so I think that you should start wearing it for your own health and safety. We all pitch in to get the best brand,” Kagmai inspected the supports and grinned. He thanked all of his friends and…wrapped his arms around Kuroko’s waist.

Yuuta could only look as Seirin’s duo walked off. They were closer than he initially thought.

* * *

With the new number of freshman joining, they adjusted something in the mini game. The freshman would get to vote who would be their starter team to compete with the second year. Kagami also ordered Jaden to go with the first year since he just entered the club too much to his wish to play on the same team with his friend. Shiver ran down Kazuya’s spine when he realised that he would went up against Seirin’s duo, Kagami and Kuroko. The first year made a quick discussion inside the locker. Everyone nominated Jaden, Naoto and Kai immediately. It was the problem of the last two people that made them thought about it hard.

“Kazu, you want to play? ” Naoto offered. Kazuya could only shook his head. He was going to embarrassed himself out there and make the team lose. Compare to the other three starters, he was just an amateur player.

“I’m not good.”

“No, but you like playing basketball. So play,” Jaden offered with a big slapped on his shoulder that made him bent forward. He gaze went up on Seirin’s Wall of Fame where a picture of Seirin team was up there from their initial founding to the moment where they won Winter Cup. Beside it was a number 7 Jersey belong to the person who found this club, Kiyoshi Teppei. He wished that his heart was as strong as Kiyoshi the Iron Heart.

“Fine…but don’t expect much from me.”

Another player named Akasaka Shibata who just started to play basketball a few months ago also volunteered to play too. And so, the freshman plus one exchange students went out to the court to greet the second year. As Kazuya expected, Kagami and Kuroko were playing in the match. Aside from that, Furihata who did manage to score on their semi-final match with Kaijo was also there. As for the rest, they might not have many game records but they looked more experience than normal player. The wristbands and knee supports that Kagami and Kuroko exchanged were worn. Kazuya remembered when he asked the third year about the tradition that Kagami’s team won against Hyuuga’s team when they were in their first year. Just how can they compete with them?

“Let’s have a good game!”

He couldn’t help but stopped in his track to see Kagami and Kuroko gave each other the fists bump before all dispersed into their position. They looked at each other with trust shone in their eyes before Kagami reached out for Kuroko’s hand and…kissed it gently. Kazuya blushed in hurried to his position right away. So their relationship was far more than partners. They were actual couple. He didn’t know how many people saw that but Kazuya felt rude for staring at them.

Kagami got the rebound. Even with his superior height, Kai couldn’t reach high enough to win Kagami’s super jump. The game started off quickly with the second year scored by Fukuda’s layup followed by Kagami’s first dunk of the game. It was the moment when the first year realised that Mini-game or not, the second year were giving all they got. And because of that, everyone played harder.

Jaden managed to score some points. With his street basketball technique, he could get pass the others easily though Kagami was giving him a hard time as he combined his blocking with Kuroko’s steal. Kai’s true skill as a center wasn’t really his jump but his fast reaction. He did managed to defend some of the shots too and even scored a dunk for them. Naoto shone brightly with his shooting skills. Unlike other shooting guards who relied on three pointers, Naoto relied on his abundance shooting tricks. So far, he showed his fadeaway, floater shot, hook shot and finger roll. Kazuya knew that Naoto had more in his arsenal but he just didn’t show it yet.

“But still…” Kazuya muttered as he wiped away the sweat. The second years were in the lead by 7 points even if they gave all they got. Kazuya managed to get the ball pass to others although he didn’t score a thing. Kuroko gave him a hard time with all the steals and misdirection. He couldn’t make out the path of the ball at all. And before he knew it, the ball was already in Kagami’s hand.

In the end, they still lost to the second year by five points and this wasn’t even the starter team of Seirin. So he had to play with these amazing people and went up against the Generation of Miracles’ team. Was he really ready for this?

“Don’t make that face you will get better,” Kazuya yelped in surprised when he heard an unexpected voice from his side. It was Kuroko again who seemed to be taking interest in him.

“Kuroko-senpai…”

“I know what you are thinking. When I started at Teiko, I had the same doubt as you but you know, someone used to tell me that ‘There’s no such thing as a useless player’”, Kuroko turned his head and glanced at Kagami who was talking with Naoto and Kai about the match, “and another person told me that ‘There’s no such thing as a useless effort’. You will get better Shimabukuro-kun. Please don’t give up on basketball yet.”

There was a small smile that assured Kazuya that he would get better and that someday, he would catch up with Naoto. So this was Seirin’s secret. It wasn’t the coach, the facility or national title. It was the members, the comradery and the support that pushed the talents of each person out. Perhaps, there would be a day where he could play with Naoto just like how Kuroko played with Kagami. So he nodded and followed others to the changing room, but not before he glanced back to see the light and shadow of Seirin holding each other’s hand and lean forward for one sweet kiss.

“Good match today Tetsuya.”

“Yes, you too Taiga-kun. Let’s go to Maji Buger today.”

“Yeah, let’s.”

**_The End_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New Players:
> 
> Shimabukuro Kazuya: 174cm, PG from Shouei (Kiyoshi’s school), still haven’t found his talent yet.
> 
> Nishimura Naoto: 182cm, SG from Shouei. Long-time friends with Kazuya. Could do lot’s shooting tricks
> 
> Sakamoto Kai: 194cm, C from Teiko. Fast reacting. Quite and kind. Similar to Mitobe but he just spoke more.
> 
> Fujimoto Yuuta: 176cm, former SF and manager from Meiko, injured himself in a match. Has a very good memory and quite perceptive.
> 
> Jaden Hayes (Exchange Student): SF from Seirin’s sister School in America. This sister school was mentioned in the canon when Kagami went off for a month to train with Alex. He actually went on Seirin’s exchange program with its sister school. So why no having some foreigners in Japan. He was that African-American guy that invited Kagami to play with his team in the middle school (first episode of season 2). Play very very good street basketball.


End file.
